Go Fly a Kite

Here in Guatemala less emphasis seems to surround the October 31 Halloween holiday and instead November 1 finds itself in the spotlight. First off, Halloween as we gringos know it is not Halloween, but rather "Day of the Dead." I’ll give it points for a cooler a name, but no Devil’s Night? No Trick or Treating? No Haunted Houses or Haunted hayrides? No Peanuts-esque costume parties and waiting for the Great Pumpkin?

Halloween (As I know it)

Day of the Dead is a Mexican tradition dating back thousands of years and is celebrated in Maya culture, Guatemala, and throughout Central America. The general idea is to pay homage and tribute to those who have gone before us. Rather than the usual macabre atmosphere we associate with a cemetery, a lively, festive mood is felt throughout graveyards as families and friends celebrate together in remembrance of loved ones. I personally didn’t see a lot of hoopla over celebrating Day of the Dead where I live in Antigua, but that could have easily been due to 1) being extremely busy at work, 2) I don’t watch TV and thus don’t see any media brainwashing/coverage promoting (if that exist here) such holidays, like is force-fed back home in the US during any holiday season, and 3) I was too devastated about missing out on my annual stash of funsize Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to focus on anything else. Sure, it was strange to not be in a last minute frenzy looking for a Halloween costume this year for the usual blowout parties, but in a way that was slightly relieving. As much as I missed carving my pumpkin and partaking in the usual Halloween revelry, it was great to experience something different in a new country.

Happiness

So while Halloween came and went, I took it upon myself to take advantage of the national holiday (read: a day off of work) on November 1 for All Saints’ Day. Here in the department of Sacatepequez, where Antigua is located, is a town nearby called Sumpango. Sumpango is known for having a Giant Kite festival to celebrate this time of year for Day of the Dead and All Saints’ Day. Never having been to Sumpango before, I followed my roommate’s lead and generally followed whichever bus looked the most full, as that could only mean it was headed towards the party.

Welcome to the land of giant kites!

Full buses indeed. We watched a few buses pass us by as they were too full to accommodate all those waiting at the bus stop and then after half of our party was able to board a bus (puppy in a friend’s purse and all) my roommate and I decided we had had enough of being left behind. 

Puppy in a purse

The next bus rolled up and to no one’s surprise was full of passengers packed like sardines. So you understand, public transport in Guatemala prioritizes profit over safety, so as drivers’ assistants will find space for extra fare-paying passengers in any possible nook, cranny, or other unsuspecting passenger’s lap. Knowing this, it didn’t exactly baffle me when our ayudante, or assistant, yelled at us “Arriba! Arriba!” No this was not his finest Speedy Gonzalez impression, he meant that there was space for us on top of the Chicken Bus, not inside it. Having been in an overcrowded Chicken Bus or two in my day, I actually jumped at the opportunity thinking, “Hey, at least we’ll have plenty of space.”

My roommate enjoying the ride on top of the bus

The highways around Sacatepequez are serpentine and riding in them are akin to a rollercoaster ride as you bend and wind your way through your journey while holding the bar on the seat in front of you for leverage. Take that sensation of riding on a rollercoaster and then add the blustery winds of a wind tunnel as you cruise in the open air at top speed and you will have a sense of our adventure. Yes, certainly a “Do Not Try This At Home” and not an activity I’d do under normal circumstances, but it was safe (I swear Mom!).

Want dangerous? His job is to move in & out of the bus while at top speed. At least we stayed put.

After our heart-racing jaunt to Sumpango we made it to the Kite festival. Not without first winding through the narrow streets and alleyways littered with people buying and selling anything from slices of pizza to head massagers, we made our way to the open field that on this day would serve as ground zero for Kite Air Traffic Control. Groups of kite fliers marked off makeshift runways and took turns trying to get their intricately designed kites airborne as gigantic kites loomed in the background on display.

The giant, colorful kites

Vibrant

Legend has it that each November 1 bad souls fly into local cemeteries to disturb the peace of those souls of the faithfully departed. The disruption causes the souls to roam the streets and cause general chaos and uneasiness. Upon consultation to the old and wise men of the town in times long past, the solution was to fly kites to keep these bad souls at bay and to keep order in town. Apparently “the sound of wind against the paper” creates a powerful repellent for the bad souls and people have been keeping with this tradition, putting much thought, time, energy, and creativity into these impressive kites.

Lift off