A ceremonial dip in the frigid waters of the fast-flowing Pilmaiquen River in southern Chile was the culmination of the multiday celebration of We Tripantü, one of the most sacred holidays for the Mapuche, the country’s largest Indigenous group.
Coinciding with the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, the late June “new year” festivities mark the “new rising of the sun” and signify “the change and renovation of life, in all senses,” said Amanda Huichalaf. She took part with her family in the ceremonies led by her sister, the machi or healer and spiritual guide of a Mapuche community alongside the river.
