On August 15 the team of Martsam Tour and Travel was present during the celebration of Santa Maria Joyabaj, in Quiche, the main reason for the trip was to update our information about one of the three municipalities of Guatemala where the dance of el Palo Volador is celebrated.
According to Mr. Carlos Rene Garcia Escobar, author of the atlas danzario of Guatemala, El Palo Volador is a ritual that is related to the Popol Vuh or sacred book of the Mayas and the history that relates the death of 400 boys being heroes by Zipacna, the creator of the mountains, the son of Vucub Caquix, brother of Cabracan the mover of the mountains, killed by the vindictive play of the twin brothers Ixbalanque and Hunahpu.
The ritual is performed by four monkeys / apes all major flyings and eight more of them flying called Moors and Christians, and Saint Michael archangel, commanded by the maximum spiritual and administrative leader, the owner and / or representative.
The apes go in black; the others are crowned with colorful feathers, embroidered shirts and trousers and wear Spanish masks.
In front of the church in the middle of the central area is set a huge tree, which is a female pine called by the quichensis ixoc chaj.
The tree has a square frame which rotateswhere the loops are tied, this is where the dancers’ heng and go around rotating until they reach to the ground level mean while a marimba emits musical notes.
The dance is performed in Chichicastenango on December 21st, Joyabaj on August 15th both in quiche and Baja Verapaz Cubulco on the26th of July.
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