For Día de Reyes or Epiphany we break a piece of bread known as Rosca de Día de 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. ¡Buen provecho!
All year long he hides under the bed or in the junk piled up in the corner, casting misfortune or worse on helpless mortals. But on December 7, at 6 p.m. sharp, the Devil gets his comeuppance, as he is tossed out of the house along with the trash and set ablaze in the Quema … Read more
Here’s your Guatemalan Spanish word of the day: Barriletes for kites. In my humble opinion, Santiago Sacatepequez is the most photogenic location to watch in awe the magnificent giant kites of Guatemala because they are flown form the graveyard, with people running in all directions over the tombstones. What’s your favorite spot to watch the … Read more
First of all, I wish a very happy Central American Independence Day to all the loyal readers out there! Above we can appreciate the coat of arms on the Nicaraguan flag. This is the flag the most resembles the flag of La Federación del Centro, United States of Central America, a union formed on July … Read more
Volcanos, triangles and stars are the two most often motifs found on the Central American republic flags. The Central American Federation flag had five volcanoes inside a triangle with cornucopia providing abundance to all five provinces. Even today, Nicaragua and El Salvador’s flags still keep most of the design of the Central American Federation flag. … Read more
For the Santiago Apóstol celebrations the municipal authorities decided to set up an effigy of said saint on the second story of the Palacio del Ayuntamiento. There were all kinds of parades during the morning as well marimba music concerts. I guess at municipal level, government officials do not understand the constitutional mandate about the … Read more
As part of the Día de Santiago celebrations on July 25th, or Saint James Day, La Antigua Guatemala has been hosting all kinds of activities such as the half marathon Las Rosas, a food festival, a book fair, and music recitals. The fuente de las sirenas of the main square has been decorated with flowers.
As every year, a Sunday or two before Día de Santiago, or Saint James Day, celebrated on July 25, a half marathon is held in and around La Antigua Guatemala. This year I captured a couple of photos on the Calle Real de San Pedro Las Huertas. This time I decided to do long exposures … Read more
Have a happy Mother’s Day, again! As I mentioned earlier this week, Guatemalans always celebrate Mother’s Day on May 10, regardless of what day of the week it falls on. Nevertheless, there are many people from the US, Canada and Europe living in Antigua Guatemala and many of them will celebrate Mother’s Day today. That’s … Read more
Here’s your illustrated Spanish words of the day: Madre for Mother and mamá for mom. We are old-fashioned in Antigua Guatemala and we still observe and celebrate holidays on the dates they fall in the calendar. For instance, Día de la madre or Mother’s Day is celebrated every year on May 10, regardless of what … Read more
On March 10, La Antigua Guatemala celebrates the anniversary of the move of the capital city of Santiago de Guatemala, now La Antigua Guatemala from the valle de Almolonga to valle de Panchoy with all kinds of activities such as parades, civic acts and concerts. Here’s a picture taken as a school parade went by … Read more
Carnival is celebrated on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday in La Antigua Guatemala. The form of celebration is break colourful eggshells, cascarones, on the heads of friends and family members. These hand-painted cascarones are filled with home-made confetti and other such things as flour. By the end of the day, kids forego the eggshells altogether … Read more
As I have shared with you before, cariño is a very versatile Spanish word; it can mean honey as ven cariño, come here, honey, or sweetie and darling; it can also be used as tenderness [dilo con cariño]. Cariño can also mean love, dear, and affection, as in Día del Cariño or Day of Affection, … Read more
Let’s just celebrate our diversity today and everyday! Today is a national holiday in Guatemala: Día de la Raza. So, I would like to share with you the face of cultural resistance in a world where identity is being erased or blended; in Guatemala the Maya women still represent a strong footing for the Guatemalan … Read more
