Dia de Todos Santos

Happy Dia de Todos Santos!! Today is one of Guatemala's most important holidays, All Saints Day (also called Day of the Dead). It is marked by processions and festivals mixing both Mayan and Catholic traditions. Most activities and celebrations are held in cemeteries, where people decorate gravesites and celebrate those who have passed away. The village of Santiago Sacatepequez, less than an hour from Guatemala city, has an amazing tradition of flying elaborate kites. At the village cemetery, locals fly huge brilliantly colored kites, representing souls rising to heaven. These are not your every day kites. They are very carefully constructed with cloth, ribbons, and various traditional Mayan and Catholic symbols. Notes are attached to the strings of the kites and carry messages to the dead and to God. What a beautiful way to honor those who have gone before us. Aren't these kites amazing?!?!