Colorful Poinsettias for the Christmas Season
Here’s your illustrated Guatemalan Spanish word of the day: Pascuas for Poinsettias. With each passing year, poinsettia growers develop new colors and …
Portraits Prints as Presents for This Christmas Season
The synergy created by the act of giving prints of the portraits made on the streets of Antigua Guatemala is incredible. Give …
Christmas season festivities around Antigua Guatemala
As I have mentioned many times before, the dry season is the best time to visit Guatemala. During the dry season we …
Christmas Season Aromas from Antigua Guatemala
One thing I can not share with you is the aroma of Christmas that I get while walking around town. The Christmas …
Fireworks Rockets for Christmas season
Anyone who has spent Christmas and/or New Year in Guatemala can agree Guatemalans are bunch of pyromaniacs. Even Boing Boing editor Xeni …
Setting Up Shop for Christmas Season
So after the Burning of the Devil is over and the set up of the Nacimientos has already began, we can assume …
The Beginning of the Christmas Season in Antigua
The Burning of the Devil right before the celebration of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception marks the beginning of the Christmas …
Christmas Decorations at Calle del Arco
For this Christmas season, Calle del Arco was decorated with Xmas lights in the shape of angel’s wings. This is what they …
Christmas Lights at Parque Central of Antigua Guatemala
Over 200,000 Christmas lights are turned on the day after Thanksgiving on the main square of Antigua Guatemala, locally known as Parque …
Guatemalan ponche for Christmas
Guatemalan ponche, fruit punch is the most popular drink for the Christmas season. The fruit punch above was prepared from package from …
It’s Poinsettia Season in Guatemala
Well, if it is pascua season in Guatemala, you know what that means, right? As I had shared before, pascuas (Guatemala) and …
Merry Christmas with a Guatemalan Nativity Scene
As I have explained before, Nacimientos are Nativity (Navidad in Spanish) scenes shrines made to celebrate during the December until Christmas or …
Typical Morning in Antigua Guatemala During The Dry Season
What’s the weather like around Antigua Guatemala during Christmas? That’s a typical email I get this season. Well, here’s a typical panoramic …
Christmas lights at Central Park, Antigua Guatemala
Once again Parque Central is looking radiant for the Christmas season with the help of over 200,000 lights. It is a very …
Dry Season Blossoms in Antigua Guatemala
Okay folks, this is the deal. In Guatemala for some strange reason, many plants bloom during the dry season. As a matter …
Typical Lenticular Clouds during the Dry Season
During the dry season, we experience lots deep blue sky days. The few clouds we get make interesting forms and complement the …
This Christmas Give Your Talent and Creativity As Gifts
Instead of buying stuff, these two musicians decided to play and sing some Christmas carols for a group of shoe-shiner boys who …
Christmas Lights at Antigua Guatemala’s Main Square
There are over 200,000 lights over the trees of La Antigua’s main square. These are the main Christmas lights decorations you will …
Guatemalan Christmas Breakfast
Here’s a typical Guatemalan breakfast for Christmas, which is normally a quite day except for the fireworks and firecrackers which begin at …
Fuente de las Sirenas Around Christmas time
The Plaza Mayor, main plaza, or Parque Central as we normally refer to main square in Antigua Guatemala is among the best …
Christmas Lights in Antigua Guatemala’s Main Plaza
There are over 225,000 lights over the trees of La Antigua’s Central Park which are the main Christmas lights decorations your will …
Visit Antigua Guatemala during the Dry season
I never get tired of urging you to visit Guatemala during the dry season. The weather is the best, the light is …
In The Christmas Mood
Poinsettias or Flor de Pascua are in full bloom in The Land of the Eternal Spring for the Christmas season. The most …
Installing the Christmas Lights
The installation crew for the Christmas lights is hard at work to have all 600 series installed before December 3 and that’s …
Merry Christmas Decorations
Even though you may seem Christmas decorations as early as September in Guatemala, the official Christmas season celebrations begins with the Burning …
The Procession Season Is Officially Open
This entry should be called “ephemerides updates” because there several events that happened this week. On Tuesday, kids everywhere celebrated carnaval, carnival, …
Christmas Carols in Antigua Guatemala
It was only last week that I told you that often during December or the Christmas season, there are several free concerts …
Guatemalan Christmas Colors: Poinsettia Red
Pascuas (Guatemala) and Flor de Noche Buena (Mexico) are how poinsettias are known in Spanish. Poinsettias are native to Guatemala and Mexico …
Free Christmas Concerts in Antigua Guatemala
Often during December or the Christmas season, there are several free concerts around La Antigua Guatemala. For instance, the photo above was …
Installing the Christmas Lights at Antigua’s Central Park
These electricians are working hard against the clock since they have to install over 225,000 lights over the trees of La Antigua’s …
Guatemalan Christmas Decorations: Pashte
One of the most important decorations for the nacimientos is the pashte; also known as paxtle, paste, pastle, or simply heno, which …
Guatemalan Christmas Decorations: Corderos de Tusa
We’re Hombres de Maíz. Follow the white rabbit and you’ll know why! Corderos (lambs) made from tusa (dried corn husk) are very …
Guatemalan Christmas Decorations: Pascuas
Flor de Pascua, Flor de Noche Buena or simply Pascuas are how poinsettias are known in Guatemala. Poinsettias are native to Guatemala …
Guatemalan Christmas Decorations: Manzanillas
The chamomile rings are known as manzanilla in Guatemala (tejocotes in Mexican Spanish). The aroma of a Guatemalan Christmas decoration is provided …
Guatemalan Christmas Decorations: Chicuyas
Chicuyas is the name by which Guatemalans name the part of the pine tree, which I don’t its English name (can you …
Christmas’ Eve or Noche Buena in La Antigua Guatemala
Christmas’ Eve or Noche Buena in La Antigua Guatemala is celebrated by staying up all night burning firecracker, eating tamales or turkey and drinking real fruit punch or hot real chocolate, visiting family, friend and neighbors for the respective abrazo de Noche Buena and buenos deseos (Christmas hug and wishes); many even go to midnight mass. At midnight the presents under the Christmas tree, around the nacimiento (nativity scene), are opened and everyone laughs and hugs indiscriminately everyone around. These celebrations rate the highest on nostalgic memory scale; everyone living abroad wishes to be in Guatemala for this season and for this night in particular.
Traditional Guatemalan Christmas Food: Chiles Rellenos
Well, chiles rellenos are not just a Christmas seasonal food since they are available everyday, 24×7 in Guatemala. Last year I described Guatemalan chiles rellenos like this:
Buñuelos Are Another Traditional Guatemalan Christmas Food
By the way, although I have not mentioned it yet, every night as I write the daily entry I can hear the bombas (bombs) firecracker, the cohetes (firecrackers) being burnt, the church bells tolling, the canchinflines (whistle) firecracker and all kinds of unknown (to me) firecracker being burnt and creating a loud bang which I can hear as echoes through the far away streets. In additions to the smells and scents, the Christmas season in Guatemala has a soundtrack of its own.
Poinsettias and Pine Needle are Christmas Decorations in Guatemala
Manolo and Carmen were reminiscing just the other day about the smells associated with the Christmas season in Guatemala. Pine needles have a very peculiar smell and indeed its smell its burnt in the Guatemalan collective memory of Christmas and birthdays parties. Flor de Pascua or poinsettias are a visual cue of the upcoming Christmas as well. Shops know this and they use pine needle and poinsettias among other Christmas decorations to reel in the customers; it seems to be working just fine in this shop.
First Christmas Signs of 2007
Poinsettias or Flor de Pascua are in full bloom in The Land of the Eternal Spring for the Christmas season. Commercial decorations are beginning to show up in shops and restaurants. Soon enough we will have the Burning of the Devil celebrations, Nacimientos, Posadas and everything else that comes with the Christmas season. Soon, even the trees will dress for the holidays.
Christmas colors from the Antigua Guatemala’s Market
Red is the most prominent color around Christmas time. You can see it in the many people who dress up like Santa …
Corozo Palms and its Smell are a Staple of the Holy Week
Just like the Christmas Season comes with its own set of smells, flavors and color palette, so does the Holy Week celebrations. I can bring to you still photos, slide shows, video clips and sounds. But I can not bring you the smells. Like I said back in the Virgin of Guadalupe Day, … the incredible power of the sense of smell can detonate nostalgic memories… if only the smells could be seized like Patrick Süskind suggested in his masterpiece Das Parfum (Perfume). How could one go about imprisoning the mixture of the smells of copal incense, corozo palms, fireworks, pine needles, moisten saw dust, fresh tropical fruits, palm flower arrangements and sweat into a digital format readily available to download onto your own computer?
Illuminated Escuela de Cristo Park Scene in Antigua
Even smaller parks, like the one in front of the Escuela de Cristo Church, get their light dress for the Christmas season in La Antigua Guatemala. Yet the best and most expensive lighting is reserved for the Parque Central (Central Park) as you have seen in the previous days’ photos.
La Antigua Guatemala’s Central Park Illuminated
La Antigua Guatemala’s Central Park gets a light dress for the Christmas season. If you remember some of the photos from last year, like Tree branches of Fire or Lit Branches at Central Park, you would know that taking photos of the illuminated park is quite difficult since the resulting photos hardly capture the magical atmosphere of the trees with thousands of Christmas lights. I promised I have tried my best. This year, I have a few more takes on this gorgeous light dress for the La Antigua Guatemala’s Parque Central.
Horse show for the Virgen Inmaculada de La Concepción
In Antigua Guatemala, the official Christmas season begins with the celebrations and activities organized in honor of the Virgin of Immaculate Conception …
Poinsettias Flowers: A Gift from Guatemala to the World
Poinsettias are autochthonous to Guatemala and Mesoamerica so they can be grown in gardens either by design or as wild intruders as well as in the fields as wild plants. In Guatemala poinsettias are known as Flor de Pascua, or simply as…
This Devil Will Burn in Antigua Guatemala on December 7
The Christmas season in Antigua Guatemala begins with a cleansing pyromaniac ritual by burning the devil which represent all the negative feelings …
Día de los Reyes in Antigua Guatemala
For Día de Reyes or Epiphany we break a piece of bread known as Rosca de Día de los Reyes. Whoever gets the plastic baby placed inside has to pay for the tamales and ponche on Día de la Candelaria, February 2nd, or Groundhog Day. Click through the link to see Rosca de Día de los Reyes…
The Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon Begins Now
Retablo of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe found inside Iglesia San Francisco El Grande, Antigua Guatemala. Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon is a concept typical of …
No Sympathy for the Devil
All year long he hides under the bed or in the junk piled up in the corner, casting misfortune or worse on …
Maya Nativity Scene
Here’s a Maya-style Nativity scene found as decoration in one the popular hotels here in Antigua Guatemala. In fact, they had quite …
Celebrations of Virgen de la Concepción in Ciudad Vieja
Here I captured the look of the façade of the temple of Ciudad Vieja, about 4 kms from La Antigua Guatemala during …
The Buñuelo Transaction
As I mentioned yesterday, Cuaresma [Lent] has street food that is sold at the booths outside the church where the velación, vigil, …
Día de Reyes Magos at San Gaspar Vivar
In Christian tradition the Magi (Greek: μάγοι, magoi), Three Wise Men, Three Kings or Kings from the East are said to have …
New Guatemalan Mayan-style Nacimiento Handicrafts
Nacimientos are Nativity (Navidad in Spanish) scenes shrines made to celebrate during the December until Christmas or Navidad in Spanish. On December …
Lent Food: Buñuelos
Just as in other celebrations, Lent has a food that is sold at the food stalls out side where velación, vigil, is …
The Three Wise Kings Day or Epiphany in Antigua Guatemala
Unlike other catholic countries, Guatemala does not make a big deal of the arrival of the Tres Reyes Magos (Three Wise Kings) …
Have you visited Ciudad Vieja Lately?
Ask yourself, when was the last time I visited Ciudad Vieja? If it’s been a while, perhaps it is time to put …
Red Guatemalan Poinsettias Wallpaper
To get us into the mood of the Christmas season that can be felt everywhere in Guatemala now, here’s the first free …
Poinsettias Everywhere
In Guatemala poinsettias are known as Flor de Pascua, Flor de Noche Buena or simply Pascuas. Poinsettias are native to Guatemala and …
“Los Abuelitos” Guatemalan Tamales Shop
Question: If La casa de Los Abuelitos has already a red lantern signaling that they sell tamales, then why on earth would …
Recycling Sewing Machines
I have talked about the recycling done in La Antigua Guatemala before with Haves and Have-Nots, Public Enemy Number 1, Guatemalan-style Salt …
Slide Show of Burning of the Devil in Antigua Guatemala
All year long he hides under the bed or in the junk piled up in the corner, casting misfortune or worse on …
Día de Reyes or Epiphany in Guatemala
Unlike other Spanish-speaking countries, Guatemala does not make a big deal of the arrival of the Tres Reyes Magos (Three Wise Kings) …
Where Are You Taking Me?
Oh please, please, can somebody explain to me where did these tacky dancing Disney figures come from and how they became such …
Guatemalan Nacimiento or Nativity Scene
The official date for the commencement of the Christmas season in Guatemala is December 8th, although many malls and commercial centers, imitating …
Torrejas, Torrejas, Anyone?
Guatemalan torrejas is what happens when you mix a good sampling of Guatemalan sweet bread known as molletes; stuff it with manjar …
Nacimiento Shrine Niche at Capilla de Belén
One important aspect of this particular Nacimiento is the fact that Santo Hermano Pedro de Betancourt managed to get himself in the picture of the Nativity shrine. For those who are not well verse in Catholic imagery, myself included, normally the Nativity scene shows Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus along with a few animals. No, Santo Hermano Pedro could not be present there since he was born about 1600 years later, give or take a few moons. Rather, the inclusion of his image, on the right, is to celebrate and to remember that is was Santo Hermano Pedro de Betancourt who introduced the Nacimiento and Posadas to the American Continent, to La Antigua Guatemala if you want to be precise, and from this old town, this celebration was taken to the rest of the continent.
The Ecological Way to Celebrate the Burning of the Devil in Guatemala
For those who would rather break a piñata than playing around with fire, I present to you the Lucky 7 Burning of the Devil Piñata for you to fill it with all your frustration and negative vibes and virtually burn it or break it with your mouse, trackball or tablet until your let it all out. Happy Burning of the Devil everyone!
Reading Area at the Compañía de Jesús Library
From the reception desk, we move to the reading area, immediately to the left, to check out all the recent magazines (mostly European and Spanish). This gray granite table with its bright illumination is the perfect work area to do your Spanish classes homework; even more so if you take into account the great dictionaries and thesaurus available the
Details of the Baroque Façade of Ciudad Vieja Cathedral
Even though the Ciudad Vieja Cathedral was founded in 1534, it is obvious the church has gone through many renovations. For instance, …
Burning of the Devil in Antigua Guatemala
All year long he hides under the bed or in the junk piled up in the corner, casting misfortune or worse on …
Poinsettias Deliveries
For being such a tiny country Guatemala, it tops some lists, not all bad either. For instance, Guatemala is a top producer …
Fiambre Cold Cut Ingredients
This is what supermarkets look like around fiambre time. Some of these cold cuts are only available during fiambre season, which is …
Antigua Guatemala Nights At the Park
Now is the perfect season to spend some time at the parks during the evening hours since there are no rains and …
Guatemalan Pan con Chile Relleno
Guatemalan chiles rellenos used to be stuffed chillis, normally guaque chilli, bell pepers, jalapeño, depends mostly on what is on season and …
Guatemalan Fruit Punch Recipe
Even though you can find ponche, fruit punch, year round in Guatemala and no town fair is missing the stands selling ponche …
Enjoying the Winter Solstice in Antigua Guatemala
I came across this list of Five Reasons to Spend Christmas in Antigua Guatemala, which basically mentioned the weather as top reason …
Flowers, Sunshine and 15°C Weather Now Available in Guatemala
The title says it all. So what are you waiting for to book your flight and come to land of the eternal …
The Giant Guatemalan Tamales from Oriente
Believe it or not, not all the Guatemalan tamales are created equal. Some tamales are bigger than others. This is a self-evident …
Noche Buena in La Antigua Guatemala
Christmas Eve or Noche Buena in La Antigua Guatemala is celebrated by staying up all night burning firecrackers and fireworks, eating tamales, …
On the news
Below you can browse the portfolio of the photos or stories in other places beyond AntiguaDailyPhoto. AntiguaDailyPhoto referenced or talked about elsewhere …
Antigua’s Style Lamp Silhouette
I just love the dry season that goes from late October to late April in Guatemala, also known in Guatemala as Summer …
Guatemalan Fair: The Pine-needle Processional Carpets
The making of these processional carpets is such a community-forming and bonding activity since in the process participate many, if not all, of the neighbors and family members. These traditions, festive calendar dates and special celebrations mark very strongly what makes a normal human being into a hard-core Guatemalan. You break the link or access to these experiences and you only have a person that was born in Guatemala; a fact as worthless as the fact of having had a pair of boots once.
McGyver and his Campesino Float
For the celebrations of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th, many towns have float parades. In this photo, we …