My favorite holiday, Halloween, is celebrated in some communities of Guatemala. Kids dress up and go trick-or-treating, houses are decorated and pumpkins are carved. However, in many communities, people don't celebrate Halloween and, instead, celebrate Día de Todos los Santos, All Saints Day. It is celebrated on November first, the day after Halloween. Today, we're going to learn about how this holiday is celebrated, and why it's so important to Guatemalan families.
Día de Todos los Santos is one of my favorite Guatemalan holidays. It takes place right after Halloween and involves many different traditions. Families will make ofrendas, a memorial shrine, by covering a table with flowers and photos of their relative. They'll prepare Fiambre -- a traditional salad made of lettuce, lunch meat and cheese -- to celebrate and snack on. They'll go to the cemetary to decorate their loved one's graves with flowers, streamers and cards. Lastly, and my personal favorite, they'll build and fly kites!
These homemade kites are crafted from tissue paper, sticks and glue. In the Festival de Barriletes Gigantes (the Gigantic Kite Festival) in Sumpongo, Sacatepequez, there's a competition where groups will build giant kites to compete for prizes!
