{"id":238144,"date":"2025-10-31T15:18:01","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T13:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/?p=238144"},"modified":"2025-10-31T15:18:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T13:18:02","slug":"all-saints-day-in-guatemala-the-flight-of-the-giant-kites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/all-saints-day-in-guatemala-the-flight-of-the-giant-kites\/","title":{"rendered":"All Saints\u2019 Day in Guatemala: The Flight of the Giant Kites"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At dawn on November 1, a special atmosphere fills Sumpango and Santiago Sacatep\u00e9quez<\/strong>. From the early hours, families, visitors, and artisans gather near the cemeteries to watch the sky turn into a vast canvas of paper and bamboo. What unfolds is not merely a festival but an ancestral tradition that connects the living with their ancestors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Origin and Meaning of a Unique Custom<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The origins of this practice date back to the time of the Kaqchikel<\/em> people, when kite flying was already associated with All Saints\u2019 Day as early as the 17th century. According to oral tradition, these kites serve as bridges between the world of the living and the world of the dead, while also protecting cemeteries from wandering spirits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But why November 1<\/strong>? Legend says that on this day, the souls of the departed return to visit their families, and the living must welcome them with altars, flowers, and offerings \u2014 a belief shared in many Latin American countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, this custom has gained international recognition. In 1998, Guatemala <\/mark><\/a><\/strong>declared it part of its intangible cultural heritage; and in 2024, the art of crafting the giant kites of Sumpango and Santiago Sacatep\u00e9quez was inscribed on UNESCO\u2019s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity<\/a><\/strong>. <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Una publicaci\u00f3n compartida por INGUAT (@inguatoficial)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n