The tradition has its origin in Inca mythology, which attributes to this deity the responsibility of sowing, harvesting and everything that has happened in terms of creation on this planet.
One of the meanings of the Quechua word “Pacha”, the first part of the term, alludes to space, time and the universe, that is, to the earth we inhabit. These ceremonies take place within the Aymara and Quechua culture of northern Argentina and are also commemorated in nations such as Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and parts of Chile.
Each of these celebrations seeks to reaffirm the ancestral customs and traditions of the original peoples and indigenous communities, to establish a deep connection with the Earth.
This August celebration follows another that takes place in the early hours of June 9, when indigenous people from the Bolivian Andes welcome the Andean New Year with bonfires, rituals, and offerings to Pachamama. This celebration of the pre-Hispanic peoples coincides with the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere.
Both ceremonies seek the blessing of Pachamama or Mother Earth to provide them with good harvests and other benefits of nature.
Pachamama Day also seeks to make visible the problems that impact our planet, such as deforestation, forest fires, the depredation of plants and animals, climate change, the illegal extraction of natural resources and environmental pollution.
Source: VOA
