Killa Raymi celebrations are underway; Three days of music in Cuenca; Alex Syntek in concert; Festival of charangos; Economy improves; Drink and be merry!

Bored?-
Llega la Fiesta de la Luna – -Septiembre is the time for connections with nature and with ancestral memory in the Andes. Killa Raymi, or the Fiesta of the Moon, is commemorated with ceremonies, rituals and cultural expressions in various parts of the country, including Cuenca and El Tambo. Killa Raymi is one of the four Andean celebrations along with Inti Raymi, Kapac Raymi and Pawkar Raymi. Killa Raymi gives thanks to Pachamama (Madre Tierra (Mother Earth)) for her fertility and abundance and honors Killa Mama (Madre Luna (Mother Moon)) and is a complement to Inti Raymi (Padre Sol (Father Sun)). The best seed for planting is selected, a symbolic act of hope for the new harvests.

September is the time for Killa Raymi celebrations and festivals. (El Mercurio)

Today (el viernes), there was a Ceremonia Ritual del Killa Raymi, linked with the fall equinox that honors femininity, fertility, and the start of the planting season. <Interesting how it’s the called autumn equinox even though it’s the Southern Hemisphere spring.> The program started with the making of the chakana, the symbol of balance and connection between the earthly world and the spiritual. The ritual thanks the four elements of nature: water, air, earth and fire <Remember the band, Earth, Wind and Fire?> There are also activities from the 21-27/9 in El Tambo, Cañar including intercultural parades, ferias, traditional dance contests and folkloric music concerts. On el 26/9 at the Complejo Arqueológico Baños Cañari-Inca, there will be the election of the Ñusta and the first gala of the Festival Internacional de Danza. On el 27/9 a las 14:00 in the same complex, there will be the Festival de Acordeones. <I wonder if some bandoneons will show up as well.>

Killa Raymi agenda:
20/9 – 17:00 – Artists, Festival of Community Choruses, Tejiendo Voces – Mirador in Turi Parish.
19:00 – Ruta de Fantasmas, Night walk with stories and legends with artists from the Barojo Collective – Museo de las Conceptas.
21/9 – 10:00 – Festival Circuspampa, Olympic Circus – Parque de La Madre.
22:00 – Músico en vivo from the Banda 24 de Mayo – Parque Central, Victoria del Portete Parish.

En los Circuitos Festival habrá 3 días de cumbia – Cuenca is ready for 3 days of music, dance, and communities getting together with the 5th edition of the Circuitos Festival. This year the theme is “Fortaleza de mi Tierra” which honors cumbia as a genre that encapsulates resistence, identity and collective memory. <For those of you stuck in your gringo bubble, it’s a dance that probably every Ecuadorian knows — except maybe those who haven’t learned to walk yet.> The festival will run from el 25-27/9 with concerts, workshops, and conferences.

The opening will be el jueves, 25/9 a las 19:00 in the Casa Comunal de Ricuarte with an exhibit from the oral memory workshop and performances by the Banda de Pueblo San Juan de Cid and Sabrosura Group. On viernes, el 26/9 there will be a conference on the “Historia y evolución de la cumbia en Ecuador” in the auditorium of the Conservatorio “José María Rodríguez.” That evening there will be a concert a las 20:00 in the Teatro Pumapungo with Gaiteros de Tierra Alta, Ensamble TropiEAS, and the Ensamble de Cumbia Sauti. The festival will end el sábado, 27/9 in the Parque Guataná a las 15:00 with a fair and a skate contest animated by music from Conjunto de Cámara Wayra, Newe, Sonido Nueva Santería and Los Locos del Ritmo.

Infusión pictórica – The exhibit, “Infusión,” by painter Santiago Landívar, opened in the Casa de Artista and will run until el 19/10. The show highlights use of natural pigments and daily materials which Landívar uses to celebrate what is austere, frugal, and organic. Free.

Memoria televisiva – The Monda y Lirona magazine, published by the Casa de la Cultura Núcleo del Azuay, issued its 28th edition which features articles on television. The writers explore how television has marked generations from the first animated drawings to the events most relevant to the country.

Viene Alex Syntek – The Mexican singer will perform in Cuenca for the 35th anniversary of his career. The concert will be el 25/9 a las 20:00 in the Teatro Casa de la Cultura. El Mercurio will raffle tickets for all of its readers. To participate, fill out a form with your name, phone number and email address. <But first you’ll have to find the form which probably involves searching in Spanish. Good luck or call your facilitator.>

Convocan a carrera – The city is preparing a new edition of the B6K bike race, “Yo cuido los bosques” which combines a passion for the sport and environmental consciousness. It is being organized by the Fire Department. Registration is free and open until el 17/10 in the administrative building of the Cuerpo de Bomberos de Cuenca on av. de las Américas y Miguel Heredia, from M-F, 8:00-16:30. The race will be el domingo 19/10 leaving a las 9:00 from the plaza de El Otorongo and returning to the same spot.

Festival de charangos <an Andean post-Colonial instrument like a small 10 stringed guitar whose body is traditionally made from an armadillo shell> – Cuenca will be the stage for the 4th Festival de Charangos de América which will gather well-known artists and groups in the region. The festival will be on 24 & 25/9 in the Teatro Pumapungo a las 19:00. Performers will include Argentinian Oscar Miranda, Bolivian Luciel Izumi, and the Ecuadorian groups Ayllu Llajkta / Wayrapamushkas, the Ensamble de Charangos América, and the Elencos Artísticos de la Universidad Nacional de Educación. Free.

Primer Festival de la Chicha de Jora – <This is for all of you imbibing gringos since there’s alcohol involved.> The festival will be on the 19 & 20/9 in the Plaza del Farol in the San Roque barrio. The festival seeks to rescue and promote this ancestral Andean drink as part of Killa Raymi. The event will have a contest, “La Chicha tu madre – La chicha más representativa del Azuay” which will give prizes for the 3 best preparations from the southern region. There will also be talks, guided tastings <Maybe to keep greedy gringos from guzzling every bottle on the table.> about the history, culinary uses, and symbolic value of this drink. The Red Agroecológica del Austro will hold the Feria Agroecológica Gastronómica. There will also be performances and live cooking.

Curious?-
Se autoriza la venta de Movistar y Tuenti a Tigo – The Superintendencia de Competencia Económica authorized the sale of Otecel (Movistar y Tuenti) to Millicom Spain (Tigo) which has telecommunications activities in various countries but until now, not in Ecuador. A commission of the Superintendencia authorized the transaction after considering it will not alter the structure nor concentration of the markets. Therefore, it will not generate a noticeable decrease, distortion, or obstruction to competition. The Superintendencia reaffirmed that it would protect the interests of the 5 million users of the service.

Record en incautación de droga en mar de Ecuador – From enero of 2025 to date, the Bloque de Seguridad through the Armed Forces has seized 135 tons of drugs in their maritime operations. The Ministerio de Defensa stressed that this is an unprecedented record which represents the biggest strike against narco-trafficking in the history of the country, and is the equivalent of 450 millions of doses. This exceeds the total amount in 2024 when 132 tons were seized. The economic impact to the criminal organizations is $9.315 billion, ahead of the $9.108 billion impact in 2024.

Economía ecuatoriana crecerá un 3.8%: BCE – According to the Banco Central del Ecuador (BCE), the Ecuadorian economy is projected to grow 3.8% in 2025, better than the 2.8% estimate from abril of this year. This is based on increased household consumption (6.4%) and increased exports (4.1%) during the first semester of 2025.

Los precios de víveres suben; ventas a la baja – Vendors at the Feria Libre, the main food market in the city, expressed concern about the elimination of subsidies for diesel. This has created an increase in transportation costs, obliging the vendors to raise prices which directly affects the final consumer. In less than a week merchants have seen their prices go up. A sack of potatoes went from $52 to $58. For one wholesaler, the price of a sack of oranges went from $9 to $11 and on her last trip to Los Ríos, the cost of gas to fill her large truck went from $100 to $150. Currently, the price of green plantains is 2 or 3 for $1 while a few months ago they were 5/$1. Prices for vegetables also rose: carrots went from $10 to $15 per sack, peas from $30 to $50, and broad beans from $22 to $30. Another vendor attributed the changes not only due to the price of diesel, but because of problems with the crops and insecurity on the roads in the country. Transporters at the Feria Libre have asked to be included in the incentives offered by the government, saying that the high cost of diesel eats up a large part of their income. <I wonder if the gas tank trucks are going to start charging more now. There must be some diesel in that supply chain.>
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Information in this column, including dates, times and locations, is courtesy of the El Mercurio newspaper. Comments between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), are the personal opinions of the author and not part of the news translation.