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Dia de los Muertos in Guatemala
Associated to Place: AncientWorlds > The Americas > Meso America > The Lowlands > Tikal > articles -- by * Moonbeam MorningStar (38 Articles), Social Article


Dia de los Muertos in Guatemala


In Guatemala on Dia de los Muertos, the sky is filled with giant kites that are flown to scare off bad spirits so that the dead can peacefully enjoy the ofrendas. Some of the kites are so huge that they are too heavy to fly. In that case, they are launched into the wind by groups of people and anchored to the ground to be held upright. The kites are also believed to be a connection between the living and the dead, between heaven and earth. This is not an ancient tradition, since it only started at the turn of the 20th century.


A special kind of salad called fiambre is eaten only during the feast for the dead. It can be made of as many as 50 different ingredients. Fiambre originated from the custom of carrying the favorite foods of departed loved ones to the cemetaries on the Day of the Dead. Gradually all of the different foods were mixed together in a huge salad. The recipe is different with each family and is passed on from one generation to the next.

photo of Fiambre from Wikipedia Commons

Click on the marigold to go to the next Day of the Dead tour stop.




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Posted Oct 28, 2008 - 19:20 , Last Edited: Oct 29, 2008 - 15:29











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