Patagonian New Year
June 24
About Patagonian New Year
Patagonian New Year falls on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, marking the moment the Mapuche peoples of southern Chile and Argentina welcome the return of the sun after the longest night of the southern winter. Known in the Mapuche language, Mapudungun, as We Tripantu or Wiñoy Tripantu, the occasion celebrates the renewal of nature and the beginning of a new cycle for people, animals, and crops.
The Story Behind Patagonian New Year
The Patagonian New Year is one of the oldest continuous traditions in the southern cone of South America. It belongs to the Mapuche, an Indigenous people whose homeland stretches across the forests, rivers, and mountains of southern Chile and Argentina, the region commonly known as Patagonia. For the Mapuche, time is bound to the rhythms of the natural world, and no moment in that rhythm is more important than the winter solstice, when the nights stop lengthening and the sun begins its slow return.
In Mapudungun, the celebration is most often called We Tripantu, frequently translated as “the new sunrise” or “the return of the sun”. Some speakers prefer the term Wiñoy Tripantu, meaning the return or coming back of the year, reserving it specifically for the solstice. Whatever the name, the belief at its heart is the same: that the sun, called Antü, is reborn each year, and that the earth, Nuke Mapu or Mother Earth, enters a fresh cycle of growth. The festival has roots that long predate the arrival of Europeans in the Americas, passed down through generations as an oral and ceremonial tradition rather than a written one.
For much of the twentieth century, the celebration was practised quietly within Mapuche communities, often overshadowed by the imposed calendar of the Spanish and later national states, which fixed the date close to the Catholic feast of St John on 24 June. In recent decades, however, the Patagonian New Year has seen a strong revival, tied to a wider resurgence of Mapuche identity, language, and land rights advocacy. Today it is observed openly in rural communities and increasingly in cities, where Mapuche families gather to reconnect with their heritage and pass it on to younger generations.
When and Where is Patagonian New Year Celebrated?
The Patagonian New Year is observed on the June solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Southern Hemisphere. The solstice falls between 20 and 24 June, and the celebration is traditionally held on the night of 23 June into the dawn of 24 June. In 2026, it is marked on Wednesday, 24 June. The festival is celebrated across the Mapuche heartland of southern Chile, particularly in the Araucanía and Los Ríos regions, and in the neighbouring Patagonian provinces of southern Argentina such as Neuquén. Beyond Patagonia, Mapuche communities living in Santiago and other cities also hold their own gatherings.
Traditions and Customs
The Patagonian New Year is a deeply spiritual occasion, built around purification, gratitude, and the welcoming of the new sun. Its customs vary between communities, but several elements recur across the Mapuche world.
- The ritual bath – Before dawn, families head to nearby rivers, streams, or the sea to wash in the cold water. This cleansing, sometimes called Ngechiñ, is understood as a way of releasing the negative energy of the year that has passed and receiving the new cycle with a renewed body and spirit.
- The all-night fire – A wood fire is lit in the evening and kept burning through the night until the sun rises. Families and communities gather around it to share warmth, food, and conversation as they wait for the dawn.
- Storytelling by elders – The long night is an occasion for elders to share epew, the traditional stories and teachings of the Mapuche, keeping cultural memory and language alive for younger members of the community.
- Music and ceremony – Songs are sung and traditional instruments are played, including the kultrún, a ceremonial drum, the trutruka, a long natural horn, and the pifilca, a wooden whistle. Music continues throughout the night around the fire.
- Offerings at the rewe – Communities gather around the rewe, a sacred carved altar, to make offerings and prayers. Gifts of food, drink, and medicinal plants are presented in thanks to the land, and it is customary to place some food directly on the ground as an offering to the earth.
Ways to Celebrate Patagonian New Year
You do not need to be in Patagonia to honour the spirit of We Tripantu. Here are respectful ways to mark the occasion wherever you are.
- Learn about Mapuche culture – Read about the history, language, and beliefs of the Mapuche people, and seek out resources created by Mapuche voices to understand the meaning behind the celebration.
- Welcome the sunrise – Rise early to watch the dawn, reflecting on the idea of renewal and the turning of the year that sits at the heart of the festival.
- Share a meal around a fire – Gather family or friends for an evening meal, ideally outdoors around a fire, echoing the communal spirit of the night-long vigil.
- Try traditional dishes – Prepare or sample foods associated with the celebration, such as catuto (cooked wheat dough), sopaipillas, and muday, a fermented wheat or corn drink, alongside roasted meats and casseroles.
- Listen to Mapuche music – Seek out recordings featuring the kultrún and trutruka to bring the sound of the celebration into your home.
- Reflect and set intentions – Use the moment of renewal to let go of what no longer serves you and to set intentions for the cycle ahead, in keeping with the festival’s themes of cleansing and new beginnings.
Facts and Figures
- The Mapuche are the largest Indigenous group in Chile and are also present in significant numbers in southern Argentina.
- We Tripantu means “the new sunrise” in Mapudungun, the Mapuche language, while Wiñoy Tripantu refers to the return of the year.
- The celebration is tied to the June solstice, which falls between 20 and 24 June in the Southern Hemisphere and is the longest night of the year there.
- The festival has been compared to Inti Raymi, the sun festival of the Andean cultures further north.
- Traditional instruments played during the night include the kultrún drum, the trutruka horn, and the pifilca whistle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Patagonian New Year?
Patagonian New Year, known as We Tripantu or Wiñoy Tripantu, is the Mapuche celebration of the winter solstice in southern Chile and Argentina. It marks the return of the sun and the start of a new natural cycle, observed with purification rituals, an all-night fire, music, and shared meals.
When is Patagonian New Year in 2026?
Patagonian New Year is marked on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, falling on the June solstice and the longest night of the southern winter.
How do the Mapuche celebrate We Tripantu?
Mapuche families gather around a fire that burns through the night, share traditional food and stories, play ceremonial instruments, and bathe in cold rivers or streams at dawn to cleanse away the old year and welcome the new sun.
Spread the Word
Share Patagonian New Year with your community using #WeTripantu and #WeTripantu2026. Whether you welcome the dawn, gather around a fire, or simply learn about Mapuche heritage, every bit of awareness helps keep this ancient tradition alive. If you enjoy marking the turning of the seasons, you might also follow the southern hemisphere’s opposite moment at the December Solstice.
Related Awareness Days
- December Solstice – The southern summer solstice, the mirror image of the June celebration that marks Patagonian New Year.
- St John’s Day (Midsummer) – Celebrated on the same date of 24 June, a northern hemisphere midsummer festival whose feast day was historically linked to We Tripantu.
- Indigenous Peoples Day – A day honouring the cultures, histories, and resilience of Indigenous communities around the world.
Links
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