Happy Holidays Wishes from Antigua Daily Photo

Christmas, Navidad, is an easy-going day in Guatemala. Christmas Eve or Nochebuena, on the other hand, is full with festivities, firecrackers and fireworks shows, music concert and music in general and lots of food everywhere. Many people don’t even go to sleep at all. At midnight of Christmas Eve and Christmas is when the entire country puts out a humoungous firecrackers and fireworks show. At midnight family and friends hug each other and wish for a Merry Christmas and often tamales and ponche are eaten at this time as well. Also, at midnight baby Jesus is placed in the crib of the Nativity scene, Nacimiento or Pesebre in Spanish.

The color red is the official color of Nochebuena and Navidad in Guatemala and nothing exemplifies this better than the Pascua plants, poinsettia flowers.

¡Feliz Nochebuena everyone!

© 2022, Rudy Giron. All rights reserved.