Lord of Star Snow

Quyllur Rit'i (Quechua quyllur star, rit'i snow,[1] "star snow") or Star Snow Festival is a spiritual and religious festival held annually at the Sinakara Valley in the Cusco Region of Peru. This is one of the most complex festival in the world due to his syncretism between holy and pagan, Catholics prayer and fertility rituals, pre and post columbian legends. The pilgrimage follows the crosses on 8-km procession from the Mahuayani village to the Sinakara glacier at 5000 meters in height- where the Señor de Qoyllur Riti shrine lies - and ends with the homage to the image of Christ painted over a boulder. People adorate the rising sun at dawn when Viracocha (the Inca divinity of light) melts with the image of the Catholic Christ and celebrate their devotion lighting candles, offering any sort of goodies to the mountain, dancing and singing day in and day out. The pilgrimage to the Señor de Qoyllur Riti shrine has been recently included among the Unesco Cultural and Natural Heritage list.