Last 18th of November, was the inaguration of the “Museo Vivo de Sololá”, the opening was held by a group of artisans of the Region.Solola is a city in Guatemala. It is the capital of the departament of Solola and the administrative seat of Solola municipality.
The name is a hispanicized form of its pre-Columbian name, one spelling variant of which is T'zol'joly'a.The urban center has about 14,000 people, but the municipality also includes 4 village communities -Los Encuentros, El Tablón, San Jorge la Laguna, and Argueta- as well as 59 smaller rural communities.
The presentation, of the museum started with the narration of all the history of Sololá by Abner Chay, who is native of Panajachel, Sololá and studies at the UVG, university.There was a parade of all the indigenous native suits of the región, and each native woman speaker in their native language.The man of solola ususally wear the
The presentation ended with “La Pedida” that is one of the tradition that is being lost by the natives, in this show, they represented how the customs are held in the town, there are three “pedidas” in each one the fiance needs to give a lot of groceries and fruits to the new family he will be part of.
After the three “pedidas” the father decides how many years he needs to work for him………….
They take several months to prepare the kites, although this tradition is more recent than that of Santiago, the variety of designs and materials are larger and require more organization.
Previous activities begin with the choice of the ambassador of the kite, a week before the first of November. Then on the eve of the celebration they do a tour with the Mayan spiritual guides in the cemetery and where the kites will be displayed. During the night of 31 they take out the kites. This activity is of recent origin, to prepare the shops and spaces for participants. That night there is music and games to entertain all visitors.
The Fiest
The groups are arranged from the previous night. At 10 in the morning on the 1st of November begins the show of the huge kites. There are four categories:
A. The display of kites, of more than 10 meters high.
B. The ones that fly. They must be less than 6 feet tall.
C. It covers free disefios. They count the kites and commets of different shapes.
D. The child, this category is very important to promote the tradition in the youngest.
Viewers visit first cemetery to remember their ancestors. They decorate the tomb with flowers and they bring along flowers to their loved ones.
Then they head toward the football field, to admire the designs created during the year
The Tourists reach to admire the enormous quantities of kites. That day is filled with folkloric and the solemn sense of the activity with trade and tourism.
The following Sunday they enable the same space, but out of competition so that all people in the community can freely fly their kites. This will continue to provide reasons to keep the tradition of the kites that fly during the evenings of November across the Guatemalan sky.
The relationship that has existed between the inhabitants of Santiago and Sumpango gave rise to the initiation of the practice of the kites in other town. It has not yet been established which was the determining step, but it is clear that this custom was inherited.
The tradition began in 1978. The theme and the designs are more varied than in the neighboring municipality of Santiago. They set up the activity in a green area to respect the sacred ground of the cemetery, in addition to providing greater convenience to accommodate participants and tourists attending the activity.
The organizing committee has arranged new activities in order to appreciation the kites. Thus, the tradition evolves and combines the activity and adapts it to the tourism.
This resulted in the increase of its fame in a short time and has increased the number of participants and tourists.
Tribute to the dead
Most of the ceremonies offered in honor of the dead are held on the 1st of November, All Saints Day and the following day is designated for the memory of the dead.
November 1st is a national holiday, established to enable all people to visit their dead and go to their places of origin.
Traditional cuisine
It is likely that the Arabic influence on Spanish food and its fusion with the pre-Hispanic customs have given rise to the traditional meal of the dead in Guatemala:
El Fimabre. This meal is done with sausages, meats, and a variety of vegetables and vinegar. It is a cold meal, which can be related with the mourning of the people or sacrifice in memory of the deceased who no longer enjoys this world. During the colonial time they practiced this tradition also.
Another tradition deeply rooted among the indigenous communities is the custom header meal. This is the food that families carry the dead and is left on the graves and they belief that the deceased will come during the day of Acoma's dead. Families tend to cook the favorite dish of the deceased.
The way Home
Over the doors and windows are placed flowers and ornaments. This indicates the deceased persons that they are still remembered and they are welcomed home. Inside the house it’s prepared an altar with photographs of the deceased, a candle and in some occasions incense and a glass of brandy. They pray at this altar for the deceased to find his way to heaven.
The family goes to the cemetery. The tradition consists to paint and decorate with flowers the tomb. Relatives take along food, candles and incense, and they share foods and drinks. In some places they take along to the cemetery to interpret the favorite songs of their loved ones. Throughout the day there are activities that show memory, respect and honor toward the diseased persons.
Celebration Date, 1st and 2nd of November Currently, they have established two categories of kites. Those who fly, that reached up to six meters high and the display, which have reached up to 16 meters. Now there are awards and honors. This occurs after the Commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the discovery of America in 1992 Two months before the event the persons organize themselves into groups of 10 to 15 people. A committee organizes the activity and does a consensus about the kites, as well as the designs and materials to use. In the past, the topics were picked and not made for competition. The designs are drawn by experienced hands, especially young people who have maintained the tradition existing in the municipality.
The Feast The expected day On November 1st, the cemetery is filled with many persons that arrive to admire the creative art of the inhabitants as well as large numbers of tourists, judges and organizers. Accompanied by fireworks, colorful kites fill the sky with different motives. The greatest pose is the enormous and majestic prints that are memorable. The tradition continues, although it has evolved and acquired different characteristics. The people prepare to visit their dead relatives. They decorate the graves, people arrive with food, the deceased`s favorite which they share along with the family. They do a prayer which expresses their affection to their loved ones. They cover the ground with flowers through which it shows the families art, it’s a colorful and tradici6n special time to commemorate those who have already left.
The bond with the other world It is believed that the kites were brought to Guatemala through the Franciscan priests who discovered them during evangelization in Asia. Several historians of the colonial squares refer to them as kites. Native adopters began to use them with tissue paper, cane and glue; they began to fly them with the help of the strong winds in November. The kites are an ideal medium for communicating with the dead. During these two days "they have permission" to return to visit the world of the living. So, the people gathered in the cemeteries fly kites dedicated to their loved ones. The tradition states that they cannot do flight tests, as these should only be flying on the special date to communicate the message. The oral tradition indicates that this colorful festival was initiated in the late nineteenth century.
Preparations
The days before the celebration they prepare the road where the race will be held. They take the horses and get the marimbas that will be used during the celebration and the dancing.
On October 30 burnings are conducted, these are rituals asking permission to Mother Nature for the use of horses, people who are not native to the land that will be involved in the horse races.
On October 31 a special ritual is performed for the riders and their families. They dance to the rhythm of the marimba and share with their loved ones. It’s sort of a farewell, as they know they can face death the next day. If the rider survives, it’s a triumph. If the rider dies, it’s a sacrifice.
During these days they prepare food to be carried to the cemetery to share with their ancestors.
The Feast
The race of the animas
It is uncertain the reason for the practice of this race. It’s not a competition, it’s an exhibition. The locals claim it is a sacrifice.
The race of the animas are done on a stretch of 200 meters.The riders ride the horses at the end of the
stretch and return, they repeat this process over and over. They drink brandy before and during the race, they wear their distinctive traditional clothing, one of the few outfits which are still preserved in the communities of Mayan descent.
There are many visitors, both from the surrounding areas and abroad. The race is interrupted at midday for lunch.
The families share food and rum. During the afternoon the activity continues at that time the alcohol effect is already evident in the participants.
The risk of falling under the hooves of the horses increases, but the tradition states that if there is any death during the race the next year there will be luck.
COLORS OF THE REGION
Todos Santos Cuchumatán is a municipality composed of individuals rooted to their past proudly carrying their traditional clothing. This is what makes them different from other regions, where the red and purple hues decorated with original hats are highlighted during the celebration.
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