Day of the Dead
November 1st and 2nd which are "The Day of the Saints and of the Dead" are a mixture of faith and costums that attract thousands of faithful, curious and turists to Guatemala. The different colors of the flowers, the magnificence of the kites, the fiambre and the serenades in front of the tombs are some of the caracteristics of these celebrations that attract many people to Guatemala. One example is the procession of the Santa Calavera that is organized every year in San Jose, Peten. This procession is in honor of El Senor de la Muerte or Mr. Death and it is a particular way of celebrating the Day of the Dead. This year, this celebration can be seeen across the Atlantic Ocean because producers and cameramen of the BBC of London will be reaching Guatemala to film a documentary of this religious practice. This documentary will be based on the Mayan rituals of yesterday and today and will include the natural and cultural riches of Yaxa, Peten. This historic-religious ritual begins on november 1st, when the calavera or skull is taken from house to house after mass. The houses are chosen by the people in charge of the party. In every house chosen, an altar is made with a special place to put the skull and also special traditional foods are made. This procession last until the early hours of november 2nd. This skulls represent the sould of the departed that bless the houses of the people of the area. This costum dates back to the Precolumbian Times and it shows the respect that people had for the dead.
In Todos Santos Cuchumatanes, Huehuetenango the tradition is "La Santa Carrera de las animas" or "The Sacred Race of the Souls". For this activity, young people are selected to personify the souls. The people selected, mount a white horse without a saddle and then compete with their neighbours in a race that starts in the cemetery. The competitors that have been chosen before the celebration have to follow certain conditions to be prepared to compete and be proud representatives of their ancestors. It is also common to have a marimba serenade, where the favorite melodies of the dead are played.
The tradition of getting together in front of the tombs of the departed is very common. This is a costum that dates back to the romanticism. It is common to bring flowers and in some towns people bring food and alcoholic beverages to the tombs. Also in other parts of the country, people bring mariachis to serenade the loved ones that have died. With regards to food, the traditional food for this celebration is the "Fiambre" which is a costum brought over from Spain. The Fiambre is prepared with jam and cold meats. The fiambre is specially eaten in the cemeteries with tamales and licour.
The colorful giant kites from Santiango and Sumpango, Sacatepequez is one of the better known traditions for this celebrations. According to statistics, there are around 500,000 people that visit these two towns to see the giant kites. Through the giant kites, people look to communicate with their dead and send them messages. According to organizers, this traditions is over a 100 years old and nowadays there are about 50 groups participating in this activity.
