So, finally we have arrived at Domingo de Ramos, Palm Sunday. Even though I have shared a few photographs and posts during Lent, I have try to share slices of daily life that for the most part don’t include Lenten imagery because there’s an over abundance of this kind photos flowing through the social media … Read more
Here’s you Spanish word of the day: Cuaresma or Lent. Once again, from the early morning reports started to pour in, around 6 a.m., there were sightings of hundreds, no, make it thousands of people with dark markings in their foreheads. The first sightings were reported near the church of San Francisco El Grande, right … Read more
Here’s your illustrated Spanish word of the day: Cascarón for eggshell. What do we do with cascarones? Well, young people (i.e. children and/or children at heart) smash them on the heads of unsuspected victims. Since there is usually a costume party involved with Carnival you don’t know who your victimizer is. The confetti gets inside … Read more
That’s right, that is Antigua Guatemala, the land of the ice cream. Even with the heavy rains, we eat ice creams. During the 5ºC/45ºF shivering cold weather of January, the ice cream vendors and shops sell a lot. Needless to say, we have plenty of ice cream offerings in and around La Antigua Guatemala. The … Read more
Once again, as every September 15, the streets of La Antigua Guatemala were filled with students marching to all kind of sounds, not just military tunes. As I have said before, processions and parades are the favourites street manifestations of antigüeños. Here are a couple of captures from the many different school parades around the … Read more
Have A Happy Independence Day everyone! Guatemala has one really strange celebration for the Independence Day festivities: Freedom Torches or Antorchas de Libertad. As I have explained in previous years, on September 14, people from all over the Guatemala begin marathons to go to another part of the country to get the flame for the … Read more
Here’s a picture of the first Freedom Torches, Antorchas de Libertad, leaving from the Palacio del Ayuntamiento. With all the political scandals and general elections, we almost forgot that September is the mes patrio, patriotic month, and with it come all kinds of celebrations, such student parades, freedom torches, marathons, rising and lowering of the … Read more
As I have explained in previous years, during the first two weeks of September, you can find street vendors selling all kinds of Guatemalan flags. Guatemalans have many ways to display their patriotism, flags is one of them. The problem with the Guatemalan flag is that they come in all different shades of blue. There … Read more
Once again we are celebrating Saint James Day in La Antigua Guatemala, or Día de Santiago, as we call it in Spanish. I said it before and I will say it again, parades is the second most popular activity in La Antigua Guatemala after processions, of course. So, today streets were full of school bands, … Read more
As I have mentioned before, in Guatemala we still celebrate holidays on the actual date they happen to fall on. For instance, today we celebrate Día del padre, Father’s Day, in Guatemala, regardless if it is a Wednesday. What better way to observe Día del padre than with a picture of a father teaching his … Read more
We are old-fashioned in Antigua Guatemala because we still celebrate feriados, holidays, on the actual date they fall. For instance, Mother’s Day or Día de la madre, is observed here on May 10, regardless of what day it falls on. Today, Sunday May 10, Mother’s Day in Guatemala happened to coincide with Mother’s Day in … Read more
The best way to celebrate International Women’s Day is to work everyday towards the same rights, education, salaries, opportunities, and respect for everyone, regardless of gender. March 8 should be a day to ponder how much we have advanced in the previous 364 days before, don’t you agree?
Apparently, the marimba is everywhere nowadays. For starters, Guatemala has an official Marimba Day, which is observed on February 20. They play marimba everywhere and they even hold a marimba festival at the Palace of Culture in Guatemala City. In Antigua Guatemala, there are marimba music recitals, as well many radios play lots of marimba … Read more
Here’s your Spanish word of the day: Carnaval, or meat festival, or carnival. As I have said before in previous years, the best way to explain cascarones, carnaval (carnival) and Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is to quote some of the AntiguaDailyPhoto readers. Manolo: Cascarones are literally egg shells. So, as some have said, weeks in … Read more
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, which is I believe it is the … Read more