For Día de los Muertos, a beautiful Guatemalan kite festival honors the dead

[Judi Lynn]

For Día de los Muertos, a beautiful Guatemalan kite festival honors the dead




By Edna Rheiner
October 27, 2016


In Guatemalan culture, the Día de los Muertos — or Day of the Dead — is a time when the worlds of the living and the dead are believed to mesh together and spirits return to Earth from heaven. The celebration, which begins November 1, is also known as All Saints' Day, or Día de Todos los Santos.

To celebrate Día de los Muertos, Guatemalans across the country pay visits to cemeteries, prepare a special dish called fiambre and, among other traditions, fly kites.

The Kite Festivals of Santiago and Sumpango — both in the Sacatepéquez region — are about honoring the dead and communicating with them, but locals also compete to see who has the most beautiful kite and which of them can stay flying the longest. There are prizes for best design, but for the winners, the cheers and admiration of the crowd are rewarding enough.

More:
https://mic.com/articles/157789/for-d-a-de-los-muertos-a-beautiful-guatemalan-kite-festival-honors-the-dead#.ZjEnUX2aH

[niyad]

1. lovely

[tonyt53]

2. I had seen something about this a few years ago. This is a fun way to make such a gesture.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Giant Kites Fill the Sky in Guatemala for Día de Todos los Santos

Giant Kites Fill the Sky in Guatemala for Día de Todos los Santos
Published: November 1, 2016






- video at link -


Día de Todos los Santos (otherwise known as All Saints' Day) is celebrated on November 1 around the world. The Catholic tradition focuses on the remembrance of saints, both known and unknown.

One notable celebration takes flight in the Guatemalan city of Santiago Sacatepéquez, where locals create elaborate and intricately detailed kites to fly in the local cemeteries of their lost loved ones. Attached to the tails of the kites are messages for those loved ones and it's believed that the higher the kite, the closer the message is to the spirits of those in heaven.

Bringing these wildly colorful kites to life requires a small army, and this video gives us a bird's eye view at the process from start to stunning finish. The scale of these kites is mind-boggling; it takes more than 20 men to even propel it into the sky.

The kites are made of rice, bamboo and woven tapestries, and this 100-plus-year-old tradition can be traced back to ancient Mayan culture.

https://www.fest300.com/magazine/videos/giant-kites-fill-the-sky-in-guatemala-for-dia-de-todos-los-santos