All Saint’s Day: The day of the dead
On November 1st, Guatemala experiences one of its biggest celebrations: All Saints’ Day commonly known as the Day of the dead. In Spanish it’s named Día de los Muertos.This celebration of the dead is ironically full of life and color.
In many parts of Guatemala it’s believed that on this day, souls who live in the underworld are free to leave. For 24 hours, the spirits of the departed are able to visit the places where they lived and spend time with the people whom they loved.
In the days leading up to the Day of the Dead, various dishes are prepared to share with family and friends after visiting the cemetery.The most famous of these dishes is Fiambre. It has a base of pickled vegetables along with various cold cuts and sausages. In some villages, the different dishes are taken to the cemetery to be eaten among the graves of loved ones.
The Traditions:
On the Day of the Dead, graves are usually decorated with both seasonal flowers and wreaths made of silk flowers coated with wax. Many people take candles and rosaries with them to pray and to illuminate the graves after nightfall, even after they have to leave the cemetery.
For over 100 years in Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez, huge magnificent kites fill the skies. This represents a direct line of communication between the mortal and the divine. Religious fraternities (called cofradías) and other members of these communities keep this tradition alive. If you are lucky to be around Antigua that day, you really should make the effort to visit. It really is a marvellous and unforgettable experience!
Photo: Hyungsup Kim/Comvite
In Todos Santos Cuchumatán, a town in the departament of Huehuetenango, the famous Carrera de las Cintas takes place on the Day of the Dead. It’s a horse race involving several riders – all wearing special outfits – who race their horses 
along a track, over and over again throughout the day. Tradition says that riders have to participate in the race for at least four consecutive years.
One interesting fact is that, during the race and as part of the celebration, the townspeople offer drinks to the riders; it’s quite common for the riders to continue racing their horses while completely drunk (the riders, that is, not the horses).
In La Antigua, on the Day of the Dead it’s common for relatives to clean their family graves and vaults before decorating them, and then to get together with friends to eat outside the gates of the San Lázaro Municipal Cemetery, where there are stalls selling food, traditional sweets, and flowers.
No matter what your destination is at the beginning of November, you’ll be fascinated to see how Guatemalans celebrate life… and death.
