November 1, 2014 - All Saints Day in Sumpango, Guatemala

On Saturday Morning November 1, 2014 a large group of Senior Missionaries, Mission Presidents and full time paid employees, about 30 of us went to the Kite Festival in Sumpango, Guatemala.  The festival is held on All Saints Day annually November 1 to honor their kindred dead.  The kites are actually a Mayan tradition but more recently as of 80 years, the kites are made up to 20 to 30 feet in diameter.  The kites are supported with bamboo poles held together with glue and nylon string with brightly colored tissue paper. They have themes to welcome their ancestors who can visit their families here on earth for one day. The theme's can be of causes or of pictures of families and their accomplishments and also of "healers" or witch doctors anciently known as "Curanderos".

On the Day of the Dead in many cultures families will gather at the grave site and have picnics and music and celebrate their ancestors.  Families of the deceased want to include them in their lives while still on earth as the Day of the Dead. It is the one day spirits can visit the earth.  Never before had we seen this type of celebration and it was great to experience this culture.

At one point when we were walking down the street the crowd became unmovable and we were stuck.  We think that there was a group of people who purposely stopped the crowd in the middle of the street.  We think this because one of our senior missionaries, Elder Snedaker was pick pocketed. Those individuals who Pick Pocket are very slick and skilled.  One doesn't even know that their wallet has been taken.  We were pretty cautious as Al had on Cargo Pants where his wallet was zipped in and velcroed shut and his back pack covered his back end.  I have a double lined purse that I wear over the front of me and close  with my hand over it.  To get out of the crowd we moved to the side and walked down.  We warned everyone we knew to do the same.  It was a shame that there was a pick pocket in the crowd.

 Putting the kite together.  This is a small one.

 Kites everywhere

 Family Activity. 

Sombrero sombrero sombrero. That's what she calls out.

 

 A Typical family

 Sister Laws helping unroll the kite cover

 Kites from a far off.  They are huge

 Small one in the air

 Beautiful family

 Rescue squad if needed.  If one of those kites come down on you, you get hurt

 Amazing sight of kites.

 Vendor with whirly gigs. We bought one for my garden on my balcony

Sonrisa

 Food everywhere

 Caught her making tortillas

 Disgusting, but it was a sight to behold.  See the tongue hanging out.

 Balloon clown

 He poses for us.