So this past week I hosted my first group
down here which really was a fantastic experience—great group, easy-going,
really no complaints at all on my end.
As a part of hosting this group, I had the opportunity to visit the town
of Sumpango, Sacatepequez, which hosts one of largest kite festivals in the
country. Now, by saying ‘largest’, I am
both referring to quantity of kites and their sheer size. Unfortunately, I don’t think photos can do the
festival justice. Here’s a glimpse
anyway:
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| Not able to fly, but still pretty impressive |
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| Just about every color represented in this one |
The festival takes place on All Saints’ Day
(el día de todos los santos) and is a tradition that dates back several
centuries. I heard a few different
explanations of the original purpose of the kite flying, all of which involve
connecting with the spirits in some manner.
The most convincing story I heard said that the people began flying the
kites to help the spirits of their deceased relatives get closer to the heavens
so they could communicate with God.
Normally, these spirits were roaming the Earth, but with the kites the
spirits could follow the thread all the way up to the kite, which in some cases
was actually a few hundred yards in the sky.
It seems that today the festival has taken
a slightly different focus as there are competitions judging both the beauty of
the kites, size of the kites, and also how long the said kites can fly –if they can fly. The largest kites in the back of the photos
which had diameters of around 50 feet were more for beauty and message
(indigenous rights, environmental protection, and different takes on the Mayan
calendar’s 2012 prediction being the most popular themes), however they were able to fly kites with wingspans of
around 15-20 ft.-- which is no small feat (no pun intended). There were hundreds of spectators all
cheering as groups of 10-20 kids would line up along the thread of the kite
and, on the count of three, sprint across the open field hoping that the kite
would catch wind and stay in the air. We
were right in the middle of the field with the kids running past us when this
was happening. Sometimes the kites would
take off and fly, while other times they would catch one pocket of air, rise
about 20 feet, and then come crashing down on the spectators. Needless to say, all eyes were on whatever
kite was attempting to fly as if the kite was coming down in your direction, it
was a strong possibility that the bamboo frame could do significant
damage.
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| 2012 design of one of the larger kites |
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| Bamboo frame clearly in favor of remaining terrestrial |
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| Guatemalan kids a bit confused as to what is going on |
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| Kids lining up to fly one of the larger kites |
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| Gringo showing the size of the kite |
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| Mayan design |
Additionally, just outside of the main festival
grounds, there was a grassy hillside where people could fly their own
kites. I decided after walking around
this hillside for a bit that it was the one of the happiest place I have ever
seen in my life. Everyone flying kites
had genuine smiles. Even among those
people sitting, watching, and getting hit by rogue kites, I couldn’t find a
discontent individual. We played hacky sack with a few guys from Guatemala City
who were more than happy to join in and play with us. It truly was one of the most cheerful
festivals I have ever seen.
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| Go ahead, try to find the sad face |
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| Fun for all ages |
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| Playing with bubbles |
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| Not showing teeth, but you can tell he´s having a good time |
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| Not sunny out, but that wasn´t going to stop anybody |
Now, if you managed to read this far, I
want to challenge you to go to a park and try and fly a kite. I can´t make any promises, but I think if the
wind is in your favor you might just have a good time.
