Okay, so you know how sometimes you just stumble upon something cool and you’re like, “I gotta try that”? That’s pretty much what happened with “guatemalan holidays” for me. I was just browsing, you know, the usual internet rabbit hole, and I saw something about Guatemalan holiday traditions. Looked interesting, so I decided to dive in and see what I could learn and maybe even try to incorporate some of it into my own life.
First thing I did was Google, obviously. I started with “Guatemalan holiday celebrations” and just started clicking links. I read a bunch of blog posts, travel articles, and even some academic papers (yeah, I went there). I wanted to get a good overview of the different holidays they celebrate, how they celebrate them, and what the cultural significance was.
Turns out, Guatemala has a ton of cool holidays. Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a big one, obviously, and they have some really unique traditions around it, like flying giant kites in cemeteries. Then there’s Semana Santa (Holy Week), which is a huge deal with elaborate processions and religious ceremonies. And of course, Christmas and New Year’s, which have their own Guatemalan twists.
After doing the research, I wanted to pick one holiday to focus on and try to experience in some way. I decided to go with Día de los Muertos. The kite flying thing really caught my eye. I mean, who doesn’t love a giant kite, right?
So, I started researching how to make a Guatemalan kite. Found some tutorials online, mostly in Spanish, which was a bit of a challenge (thank you, Google Translate!). But I managed to piece together the basic idea: bamboo frame, colorful paper, long tails. The key thing seemed to be the size – these kites are HUGE. Like, bigger than me huge.
I didn’t have access to bamboo, so I had to improvise. Ended up using some lightweight wood I found at the local hardware store. For the paper, I just used a bunch of colorful craft paper. It wasn’t exactly authentic, but it was close enough.
The construction was… an adventure. Let’s just say I’m not the handiest person in the world. There was a lot of glue involved, and a few near-disasters. But eventually, I managed to build a somewhat wobbly, but definitely colorful, kite. It wasn’t quite giant-sized, but it was still pretty big.
Next, I had to find a place to fly it. My backyard was way too small. So, I went to a local park that had a big open field. It was a windy day, which was perfect. I got the kite set up, took a deep breath, and let it go.
And… it flew! Sort of. It was a bit unstable, and it took a few tries to get it up in the air. But once it was up, it was pretty amazing. It wasn’t quite the same as flying a kite in a Guatemalan cemetery, but it was still a cool experience. I felt a connection to the holiday and the culture, even though I was thousands of miles away.
What I learned:
- Guatemalan holidays are fascinating and rich in tradition.
- Making a kite is harder than it looks.
- Even a small gesture can help you connect with a different culture.
Would I do it again? Definitely. Next time, I’m going bigger with the kite. And maybe I’ll even try making some fiambre, the traditional Guatemalan salad eaten on Día de los Muertos. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll actually get to go to Guatemala and experience the holidays firsthand.
