Nim Upam ri Q’ij

SUMMER SOLSTICE

As dawn breaks the darkness of a night sky, leaving brush strokes of yellow, orange and pink, we welcome a new cycle: the summer solstice. 

Keeping a close watch of the mountains, and where the sun would rise and fall on their peaks, the ancient Maya would track the diverse cycles of Father Sun, as they were great guardians of time. This then evolved to the creation of beautifully engineered observatories, such as Uaxactun. 

The sun was a vital part of their existence, as it provided them with sustenance and light; he is a life giver. This led them to the path of le

arning, of understanding his cycles. By letting themselves be the students and existence be their teachers, they could grasp a great understanding of the world around us. With this comes the question: what does the summer solstice mean to the Maya?

The longest day of the year is truly a moment of celebration. This is due to the fact that in the cycles of Guatemalan nature, this is the time of the rainy season, where the Heart of the Sky is nourishing all of the plants and trees with the water necessary for their growth and wellbeing. Today, Father Sun is also playing a key role in the livelihood of plants. He is providing them with longer moments of light so that they can get all of their energy and resources. This combination of water and heat makes the corn and milpa plantations flourish, meaning that we are able to get all of the food and sustenance that we need. This indeed is a joyous moment.

In the K’iche’ Maya language, the summer solstice is called Nim Upam ri Q’ij, which directly translates to “Big his stomach of the Sun.” This is because the sun is shining bright and accompanying us for longer periods of time. 

As everything is unified and interconnected for the Maya, as this was a celebration of the physical world in agriculture, but it was also a big spiritual celebration. Everyone who is walking on the northern hemisphere of the world is also being nourished with the light of Father Sun, to grow, to develop, and to live in health.

This day was spent in spiritual festivities with the community and their loved ones. They would get together to have food, music, dance and different activities such as the “Dance of the Flyers” and the Maya ball game. It is important that today we give Father Sun our words of thank you.

~Eline Baeza