La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo

Those of you, who have followed the daily updates of La Antigua Guatemala Daily Photo for a while, would know already how much I like to name certain entries with titles of films. If you look in the past 930 days, you would find the titles of some of my favorite films. Can you name some of the film titles I have borrow in the past?

Today, I was tempted to call the entry The Dark Knight, but I decided that The Kite Runner was a better fit. For those who have not seen The Kite Runner film yet, please do yourself a favor and get online right away and order it for your next netflix/blockbuster delivery. You will not regret it. Besides, watching the film The Kite Runner is much faster than actually reading the book (although, not as rewarding).

Answers to the questions in previous comments:

Cemeteries should be one of the monthly topics on the daily photo team, or has it been already?
No, I don’t think cemeteries has been a theme day. Thanks for suggesting it Manolo, I have already passed your request to the proper authorities .

There was a big procession through town [La Antigua] last night. Did you take pictures?
No, I did not take any pictures of it. We did see it from two blocks away though. Because of this procession, it took us the same amount of time to cross La Antigua Guatemala as it did to drive from Santiago Sacatepéquez to La Antigua. Go figure.

I’m curious about that graveyard, though. Why is it all bare earth, with no grass or plants?
Disparity and inequity follow Guatemalans to their resting grounds. The bare ground graves belong to the poor.

Looking hard at the pictures, it was hard to pick much detail about what type of materials were used, and construction methods?

Once again, I borrow another paragraph from the masterful article by Ignacio Ochoa: Messengers in the Wind.

All kite materials are natural. The glue is made from yucca flour mixed with pieces of lemon peel and water. Ropes used for kite strings are made from maguey, the plant from which tequila is extracted. Kite tails are made from woven cloth (to which people often attach hand-written messages to guide the spirits in their journey from heaven to earth). Woven stalks of castilla, a plant similar to wheat, form the frames of smaller kites, while the largest frames are made from the bamboo gathered on the coast.

Below, I decided to share with you, my dear visitors and commenters, other photos and a video clip as way to expand on the answers and to get a better idea about the celebrations around the Day of the Dead in Guatemala. Perhaps next year we will decide to take a trip to Todos los Santos Cuchumatán to learn about another way of celebrating the Día de todos los Santos (All Saints Day); please reserve your seats ahead of time, especially MO since the road this town would really make car-sick.

As always, click on the thumbnails to load a larger photograph:

Below a short video clip of some young Santiagueros running around to pull the Giant kite line (rope) to raise the kite higher and higher.

Here’s another quote taken from the article written by Ignacio Ochoa and published in Revue Magazine about the history of kite making in Santiago Sacatepéquez under the name of Messenges in the Wind.

At 4 a.m. on November 2, everyone moves toward the cemetery with candles so the spirits can return to their celestial home. The townspeople raise the giant kites one final time to guide the spirits back to heaven. Later that evening, the kites that were torn by the winds are burned inside the cemetery, the smoke showing the way back to heaven for any vagabond spirits. The surviving kites are exhibited in the local Catholic Church during a novena for the deceased, after that they are burned, and the ashes are buried in the cemetery, completing the annual ritual for the Day of the Dead in Santiago Sacatepéquez. (continue reading… )

Hello, hello is there anybody out there? Are there any comments or feedback regarding the giants kites?

Ignacio Ochoa has published a recent article about the history of kite making in Santiago Sacatepéquez under the name of Messenges in the Wind. Below the first paragraph of this wonderful article:

On November 1 and 2, a powerful force stirs in all the towns of Guatemala. Traditional markets are filled with flowers of sempa (orange marigolds), chrysanthemums, wild daisies and the smell of copal—a pre-Columbian incense made from pine resin. People clean family graves and adorn them with cut-out tissue paper called papel picado, wreaths of fresh flowers and candles. They also honor the dead with festive foods such as candied fruits, tamales and fiambre (a cold meat and vegetable dish prepared only at this time of year). These days mark the celebration of El día de los difuntos or the Day of the Dead, a very important festival throughout Guatemala, especially in the predominantly indigenous town of Santiago Sacatépequez, where it is the occasion for a unique kite-flying ritual of the Kakchiquel people, integrating the Catholic feast of All Saints with pre-Columbian Mayan practices of remembering the dead. The kites are made as a way to communicate with the dead, symbolically attracting the spirits to earth at this special time of the year, when family members, living and dead, are reunited. (continue reading… )

If you would like to have the following giant kite flying image as a wallpaper for you desktop or laptop computer, as always, just download the following photo (1200×900). You can click to thumbnail below to get a larger preview. Enjoy!

As read on Prensa Libre recently:

According to the legend, each November 1st the God-world releases the souls of the dead from the underworld and for 24 hours the spirits are free to visit their live families, whom must provide a warm welcome, otherwise the spirits can cause harm to the crops and harvests. It is for this reason, that the live must built kites the cleanse the air and the atmosphere of bad spirits and vibes, so they can welcome their dead relatives. (free translation on the fly)

I became contagious with the regular twitter updates about gasoline prices going down in Guatemala, so the very next time I went to the gas station, I took my own shot of the “low” gasoline prices. The prices for fuel in gas stations, as you can see on the board, are around Q28 for regular, Q29 for super and Q27 for diesel. Just two weeks ago, the prices were Q10 above the current prices, so it is normal to assume the current gasoline prices as “low” even though before the price of oil began its unprecedented hike fuel prices were around Q20. As a historical perspective, let me share with you that when Mr. Bush took office in 2001, fuel prices were around Q11. At one point at the end of September 2008, fuel prices reached the Q40 at some gas stations. Minimum wage salary for a day in Guatemala is about Q45.

The Gasolina Aside:

Gasolina is the name of the opera prima of Julio Hernández Cordón, a film maker from Guatemala. Gasolina will begin showing in movie theaters in Guatemala City on October 31st. My wife and I were invited to the premier of Gasolina last Thursday at Cinepolis theaters in the Miraflores Mall.

Shortly after we arrived in Guatemala in late 2001, we went to see a short film festival at one of the cultural centers in Guatemala City. It was there that we were introduced to the work of Julio Hernández Cordón through a short film (about 3 minutes) entitled KM 31. The best short film we saw at the time. We were hooked on Julio’s work and since then we followed his work and life events and even became acquainted. So it was no surprise to hear that when Julio Hernández Cordón began looking for funds for his first full-feature film, forty plastic artists donated their work in order to raise funds. Then came the awards for Gasolina. First it was an award by Cinergia, a Central American film festival. “Finally, in 2007, Gasolina was awarded three prizes in the San Sebastian Film Festival which made postproduction possible. Gasolina is a film from a country with neither a cinema law nor a film institute.” as stated in the dossier. If you want to learn more about the film Gasolina, please download the About Gasolina Film bilingual PDF file (300 kb).

Below you can read the synopsis taken from the Dossier of Gasolina:

Three teenagers: Gerardo, Nano and Raymundo, spend their spare time stealing gasoline to go joyriding. So, we face a story whose characters travel in one of their mother’s car without a fixed destination, just to entertain themselves. Each stop is a crash with reality that puts their friendship to the test, showing that teenage friendships have a thin line that separate betrayal, deception and a kamikaze-like solidarity. Gasolina is an intimate story that shows that youth, country and future are defined by extremes.

It is my pleasure to recommend that if you are in Guatemala on the 31st of October 2008 or afterwards, to go see Gasolina, which will be showing in the following movie theaters: Cinepolis, Próceres, Magic Place, Capitol, Tikal Futura and Santa Clara in Guatemala City and Villa Nueva. In the mean time, I leave you with the trailer of Gasolina.

Perhaps, Julio and his friends will stop stealing gasoline to go filming “Polvo” (his next film) around Guatemala if they can make enough money from Gasolina. Best of luck to Julio, Pamela and the filming crew.

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On September 15th, at 6 p.m. all over main squares and central parks of Guatemala there is a civic act known as La arriada de la bandera (Haul down of the flag). The ceremony include several solemn activities like Juramento a la bandera (pledge alliance to the flag); Canto del Himno Nacional de Guatemala (Singing of the National Anthem) and a few speeches remembering the signing of the Independence Act and how many years has been thus far (187) since 1821.

In the picture above, you can appreciate the final moment of the lowering of the Guatemalan flag (far left) while students and the spectators position their right hand to salute the flag. This scene was capture at the small village of San Pedro Las Huertas.

With this final image we wave goodbye to September, Guatemala’s Independence month, and to the third consecutive year of the coverage of the Independence Day activities. In 2006, I focused on the marathons and the torches. In 2007, I covered the school parades. And in 2008, I have use the Guatemalan flag as the common thread. You can watch slide shows for each year to get a feel for what to expect and to compare three different photographic approaches for the same theme.

It is my hope that you have enjoyed the photos and explanations behind the celebration of independence in Guatemala. Please, let me know your opinions and thoughts; your feedback is greatly appreciated and expected.

You can watch a slide show of all the photos below:

Here is gift for those of you who like to collect the desktop wallpapers for your computer (18 so far). From here you can download the Guatemalan Flag wallpaper to help you get in the mood for the Guatemalan Independence Day celebrations. Don’t ever say I don’t give you presents!

Okay Rudy, I don’t get it, why did title this entry Libre al viento tu hermosa bandera…? What’s the meaning?

Well, I am glad you asked. Below you will find the Spanish and English lyrics for the National Anthem of Guatemala, courtesy of Wikipedia (follow this link if you want to listen to National Anthem of Guatemala). Free into the wind, your beautiful flag is the translation for Libre al viento tu hermosa bandera.

Himno Nacional de Guatemala en español e inglés (más abajo)

¡Guatemala feliz…! que tus aras
no profanen jamás el verdugo;
ni haya esclavos que laman el yugo
ni tiranos que escupan tu faz.

Si mañana tu suelo sagrado
lo amenaza invasión extranjera,
libre al viento tu hermosa bandera
a vencer o a morir llamará.
CHORUS:
Libre al viento tu hermosa bandera
a vencer o a morir llamará;
que tu pueblo con ánima fiera
antes muerto que esclavo será.
De tus viejas y duras cadenas
tu forjaste con mano iracunda
el arado que el suelo fecunda
y la espada que salva el honor.
Nuestros padres lucharon un día
encendidos en patrio ardimiento
y lograron sin choque sangriento
colocarte en un trono de amor.
CHORUS:
Y lograron sin choque sangriento
colocarte en un trono de amor,
que de Patria, en enérgico acento,
dieron vida al ideal redentor.
Es tu enseña pedazo de cielo
en que prende una nube su albura,
y ¡ay de aquel que con ciega locura,
sus colores pretenda manchar!
Pues tus hijos valientes y altivos,
que veneran la paz cual presea,
nunca esquivan la ruda pelea
si defienden su tierra y su hogar.
CHORUS:
Nunca esquivan la ruda pelea
si defienden su tierra y su hogar,
que es tan solo el honor su alma idea
y el altar de la Patria su altar.
Recostada en el Ande soberbio,
de dos mares al ruido sonoro,
bajo el ala de grana y de oro
te adormeces del bello quetzal.
Ave indiana que vive en tu escudo,
paladión que protege tu suelo;
¡ojalá que remonte su vuelo,
más que el cóndor y el águila real!
CHORUS:
¡Ojalá que remonte su vuelo,
más que el cóndor y el águila real,
y en sus alas levante hasta el cielo,
Guatemala, tu nombre inmortal!

Guatemala’s National Anthem in English

Happy Guatemala, may your altar
Never be trampled by the tormentor
Nor should slaves lick the yoke
Nor should tyrants spit in your face
If tomorrow your sacred soil
Is threatened by foreign invasion
Free into the wind, your beautiful flag
To victory or death it will call
CHORUS
Free into the wind, your beautiful flag
To victory or death it will call
Since your people, with fiery soul
Will die before becoming slaves
From your old and hard chains
You forged, with an ire-driven hand,
The plow that fertilizes the soil
And the sword that saves honor.
Our fathers fought one day,
Lit up in patriotic burning
And they were able, without bloody clash,
To place you on a throne of love.
And they were able, without bloody clash,
To place you on a throne of love,
That our Nation, in energetic assent,
Gave life to the ideal redeemer.
Your emblem shows a piece of the sky
In which a cloud gets its whiteness
Wretched is he who dares in madness
stain your colors
Well, your brave and proud sons
who admire the peace within
will never avoid the rough battles
if they are to defend their land and their home.
CHORUS
They will never avoid the rough battles
if they are to defend their land and their home
that honor is the idea that reigns their souls
and the altar of the mother country their altar
Lying in the magnificent Ande
with two oceans at hearing distance
under the wing of seeds and gold
you become entranced from the beautiful quetzal
Native bird that lives in your seal
protector that protects your soil
hopefully he will fly high
more than the condor and the royal eagle!
CHORUS
Hopefully he will fly high
more than the condor and the royal eagle
and in his wings, raise up to the sky:
Guatemala, your immortal name!

Source: Wikipedia.org