El Día de los Santos in Guatemala

Speaking of holidays... Halloween is right around the corner, which means that Latin America's El Dia de Los Santos (known in the US as the Day of the Dead) is not far behind. This holiday, celebrated throughout Latin America on November 1st, is a time to honor and celebrate the lives of the dead.

The week before this holiday, which is celebrated on November 1st, people all over Guatemala can be seen honing their kite flying skills. The occasion is celebrated in most of Guatemala by flying kites as a reminder to those who have long since passed away that their family members are still here thinking about them.

In the villages, the weekend before All Saint’s Day is spent decorating the tombs of one’s family members.  The day before November 1st, women and men in their colorful traditional indigenous dress can be seen making their way to the cemeteries carrying huge bushels of flowers and branches of palm trees on their heads and backs.  Behind them come the food vendors pushing carts and carrying tanks of gas to set up French fry and fried chicken stands to sell while the families work.  They spend all day building huts around the already colorfully painted tombs and then cover them in all different types of flowers.

Click here for a podcast interview with Elizabeth Bell, a local heritage and tourism specialist in Antigua, Guatemala. Elizabeth provides great insight into the traditions of both urban Antigua and the surrounding Mayan towns of Santiago Sacatepéquez and Sumpango. She also describes the colourful celebrations in Todos Santos, Cuchumatanes, the holiday’s namesake town, and gives her suggestions for an off-the-beaten-path glimpse of the festivities.

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