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.
Cementerio San Antonio Palopó, Sololá by Silvia Milián R.
More about Guatemalan Kites of November:
In Guatemala, most everyone looks forward to the coming holidays. On Oct. 31, goblins and ghosts and creatures of every description take to the streets to celebrate Halloween. There are parties, costume contests, and many other fun activities throughout the day and into the night.
photo by Nelo Mijangos
Food plays an important role on Día de Muertos/Day of the Dead (Nov. 1). The traditional dish is Fiambre which must be prepared in advance. Most family cooks have perfected their own special recipe.
Fiambre photo by María José Carranza
Ayotes en Dulce y Jocotes en miel. By Sergio A. Juárez
On Nov. 1 and 2 Santiago and Sumpango Sacatepéquez organize Giant Kite festivals. According to tradition, this extraordinary kites are some kind of messengers, that take the families messages to their love ones in heaven.
Residents and visitors from all over the world come to admire and appreciate this Guatemalan tradition.
Barriletes de Santiago Sacatepéquez, photo by Lo Reyes
On Nov. 1 families go to cemeteries to visit and decorate the graves of their loved ones, some take flowers, some carry food the deceased liked in life, there are also candles, prayers, and memories to be shared. It is a special day when the living and the dead are a family again as Guatemalans believe that the souls of their loved ones are given this day to visit with them again.
Cementerio de Rabinal Baja Verapaz, by Danny Vargas
As part of the Día de Muertos celebration in La Antigua, there is an extraordinary procession, Jesús Sepultado (buried Jesús). It begins at the Escuela de Cristo, as it does during Holy Week, but this time the procession has a different intention. Since 1949 Hermandad de la Escuela de Cristo agreed to hold a solemn procession to offer a posthumous tribute to loved ones, especially those who were a part of the Hermandad and those from Escuela de Cristo who are faithful devotees of Jesús Sepultado.
Courtesy of Hermandad de la Escuela de Cristo
by Danny Gamboa
Courtesy of Hermandad de la Escuela de Cristo
by Danny Gamboa
More about Escuela de Cristo Procession facebook.com/escueladecristo
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