News > Mapuche solstice ceremonies highlight sacred rivers

Mapuche solstice ceremonies highlight sacred rivers

A ceremonial dip in the frigid waters of the Pilmaiquen River in southern Chile was the culmination of the multi day celebration of We Tripantü, one of the most sacred holidays for the Mapuche, Chile's largest Indigenous group. Coinciding with the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, the festivities mark the “new rising of the sun” and signify “the change and renovation of life, in all senses,” said Amanda Huichalaf.