Day of the Dead Kite Festival

Our first cultural field trip was to Sumpango, Guatemala to the famous Day of the Dead Kite Festival. Kites are flown to honor the dead (somewhat like Memorial Day) near an adjacent cemetery. The Kites take messages to the heavens for those family members who have passed on before. Thousands of people come from all over to witness these amazing creations. They vary in size from a few feet to almost 20 feet. They are made entirely of tissue paper and are painstakingly crafted into intricate designs. It takes months to design and create these amazing things. The paper is attached to bamboo frames and are then lifted into the air. The larger kites don't actually fly but are on display to the amazement of all. The locals put on their colorful native dress and go the the cemetery to spend the day cleaning, decorating the graves and celebrating the event. It turns into a giant fair like environment with hundreds of vendors selling their wares...flowers for the graves, food, "typica" typical dress and items of the native people...tourist items (yes, I did buy!)' kites, etc. We got there about 10 and returned home about 4. It was overcast and cool so most didn’t pay attention to sun bloc but many got really burned because the sun is so intense here. Sandy's face is bright red. I wore a cap so my face isn’t too bad. Here are some pictures from the day

"This is the fanciest McDonald's I have ever seen. Seating is in a beautiful outside courtyard with Ronald McDonald ready to greet us!"

One of the local markets...