It’s Kite Season in Guatemala
The chilly winds blowing from the true north create the conditions for flying colorful kites over the skyline of Guatemala. Come and …
Kite Flying Season Will Begin Soon in Guatemala
We could argue that officially the kite flying season begins with the celebrations of All Saints Day and Day of the Dead …
Kite Season Has Arrived in La Antigua Guatemala
Here’s your Guatemalan Spanish word of the day: Barrilete for kite. Normally the kite season is the same as the dry season, …
Kite Catchers Around Antigua Guatemala
Kites hanging off trees, balconies and electric posts are, of course, another typical vista of the dry season. By the way, Guatemalan …
The Time for Barriletes Is Around The Corner
At the end of the rainy season one begins to see this tissue paper kites being sold in tienditas, small town convenience …
Cemetery, Kites and Fiambre Day in Guatemala
November 1 is one of the most important dates in Guatemala. On November 1 Guatemalans go to the cemeteries to remember and …
Typical Guatemalan Kite Shop
So, here’s a typical Guatemalan kite shop found in most villages. The kites are sold for Q1, Q2, Q5 and Q10 for …
Kite Season Decoration
The kite season is upon us already so it comes as no surprise to see Guatemalan kites being used as decorations. Through …
Guatemalan Kites For Sale
I remember that when I was a kid my friends and I made these kind of kites from scratch; barriletes we call …
Giant Kites from Santa María Cauqué
I am still getting over a cold, so I was a bit hesitant to leave home for All Saints Day. However, since …
Guatemala’s Kite Season Is Officially Open
Since the rainy season abruptly ended at the end of September, the cold winds from the north moved in within the first …
Colorful Guatemalan Kite Decorations
Colorful Guatemala, I tell you! It is quite common for businesses to decorate with colorful Guatemalan kites during October and November. Above, …
Strong Winds Are Coming
The “strong winds” begin making their way to Guatemala; Vientos fuertes would say Miguel Ángel Asturias. With the vientos fuertes also appear …
Pick Your Kite and Let’s Talk to The Dead
As read on Prensa Libre recently: According to the legend, each November 1st the God-world releases the souls of the dead from …
The Catcher of the Kites
Soon enough the electric wires become adorned with kites, lots of kites. See kite flying and the Guatemalan electric wire webs just don’t get along. One serves as trap for the other.
Mickey Mouse Kite
Cross-culturization is happening so fast that Guatemala may seemed foreign to those Guatemalans who have lived a few years outside its borders. Walt Disney figures and just about any comic hero like Spiderman, Superman, Wolverine, et-cetera are being absorbed by the popular culture and mixed with their own traditional icons like kites and parades for town fairs. But this cross-culturization is happening at all levels and not only with U.S. trivial merchandise, but with Mexican culture, music, food, novelas (soap operas), et-cetera. For instance, a few year back, I took a photograph of menu board in Panajachel, Lake Atitlán, which advertised the Desayuno Chapín (Guatemalan breakfast) with eggs a la Mexican style
Kites On Sale
The Guatemalan word for kite is barrilete. Papalote is the most often heard word in Spanish for kite, but in Guatemala barrilete is what people use. The kites on sale at this convenience store or tienda are Q2/$.25. The kite that the little boy was holding yesterday was bought from this store.