“The sun hasn’t risen, but we’re here to make fun”

The sun took a long time to appear on Friday over the mountains of the Andes mountain range in the celebration of the Andean New Year, a traditional festival in Bolivia that dates back to ancient pre-Hispanic peoples and which celebrates, coinciding with the winter solstice, the return of the sun.

At dawn, thousands of believers gather on hills and mountain ranges to receive with open palms the first rays of the sun which, according to Andean beliefs, come loaded with new energy. For the ancient peoples and their descendants, the date marks the beginning of the new agricultural calendar that in recent years has been altered by the effects of climate change.

In recent years the celebration has gained relevance due to the promotion of tourism, with more than a hundred gathering points throughout the country, even in eastern regions. The date has become a national holiday.

The celebration is also called Willka Kuti, which means return of the sun in Aymara.

In the Aymara town of Huarina, 60 kilometers west of La Paz, native authorities and residents dressed in clothing for the occasion ascended Turriturrini, a sacred hill from where Titicaca, the largest lake in the Andes, can be seen, to celebrate with offerings to Pachamama (mother Earth) and ask for good harvests and health.

Dense cloud cover, unusual in winter at that altitude, covered the immense blue mirror that looked gray on Friday.

“This time the weather has not been good, he seems angry; The sun has not risen, but we are here to make the challa (offering), so that this year will be productive for all the brothers. This celebration means production and health, our grandparents came here. We are going to consult the shamans to find out how production will go,” says Aymara mayor Wilson Mamani.

In the highland area, above 3,800 meters above sea level, the potato, a tuber native to this region, is the main crop. In recent years, production has been hit by prolonged periods of drought.

About 30 kilometers to the south, Bolivian President Luis Arce participated in the celebration in the ancient archaeological town of Tiwanaku, capital of the ancient culture of the same name that emerged in the highlands before the Incas.

Dancers in colorful folklore costumes gathered since Thursday night around bonfires to wait for the “first rays of the sun.” “We ask our Pachamama, our Tata Inti (Sun God) that this year be better than the one that is happening… Without fights or discord,” said the president before a crowd of believers and tourists in front of the largest temple of the Tiwanaku culture. (1580 BC to 1100 AD).

Internal disputes in the ruling party are complicating the president’s economic management with increases in the cost of living.

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