October – November Traditions in Guatemala

With the close of another school year the first week in October, there is excitement in the air. Soon the rains will abate and the winds will usher in the Kites of November. More about Guatemalan Kites of November: Traditional Kite Making in Santiago Sacatepéquez, Guatemala   In Guatemala, most everyone looks forward to the coming holidays. On Oct. 31, […]

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The Kites of Guatemala a Connection to the Hereafter

The Kites of Guatemala

During the last days of October strong winds start to blow in Guatemala, and that can only mean two things, one, it is the end of the rainy season, and two, it is time to fly kites. Kids are officially out of school, and they run to buy colorful kites from vendors in neighborhood shops, at the markets and town […]

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A Kaleidoscope of Color and Tradition

All Saints Day, Nov. 1.  text and photos by Kerstin Sabene. I returned to La Antigua Guatemala last October because I so enjoy living among the ancient ruins and architecture that give this city its stunning colonial atmosphere. I especially love the Guatemalan people and their many sacred traditions and was excited to experience for the first time the colorful […]

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Messengers in the Wind

Written by Ignacio Ochoa The history of kite making in Santiago Sacatepéquez On November 1 and 2, a powerful force stirs in all the towns of Guatemala. Traditional markets are filled with flowers of sempa (orange marigolds), chrysanthemums, wild daisies and the smell of copal—a pre-Columbian incense made from pine resin. People clean family graves and adorn them with cut-out […]

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Messengers in the Wind

Written by Ignacio Ochoa The history of kite making in Santiago Sacatepéquez On November 1 and 2, a powerful force stirs in all the towns of Guatemala. Traditional markets are filled with flowers of sempa (orange marigolds), chrysanthemums, wild daisies and the smell of copal—a pre-Columbian incense made from pine resin. People clean family graves and adorn them with cut-out […]

Read more