Festival of the Sun - level 3
Tens of thousands turned out to celebrate the ancient Incan Festival of the Sun which marks the winter solstice. Some 50,000 trekked to Cszo for the ceremony in Peru known as the Inti Raymi.
The festival is a celebration of the Sun and the actor Nirvado Carrillo played an Incan leader for the grand entrance. He pours the ancient Incan corn drink over the ground from a ceremonialurn as an offering to Mother Earth.
The ceremony reaches its climax with the sacrifice of a llama to the Sun God Inti.
Priests pulled out the animal’s heart and placed it in a fire as part of the ritual.
Inti Raymi is known as the most important of Incan ceremonies. The annual reenactment has been taking place there since 1944.
Difficult words: winter solstice (the shortest day of the year), urn (a bowl), climax (the most intense point), annual (happening every year).