Sumpango Kite Festival

'Let's go fly a kite...'

The Sumpango Kite Festival is much more than just a few people flying kites in a field. Before coming to Guatemala we had never heard of this event, but it is a very important date in the diary for tens of thousands of Guatemalans, and thanks to the Ocean Cruising Club organising a tour to visit it, we got a chance to experience this truly amazing event first hand.

The Sumpango Kite Festival is part of the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations. The Day of the Dead is a celebration that takes place on 1 November each year, when Guatemalans remember their dead loved ones. They believe that souls of all people that have passed away return to earth on this day to check up on their families. 

One of the most popular traditions on this day is to visit the cemeteries. Some merely lay flowers on the mausoleums and say a prayer for the souls of their dear departed. Some however, take it to another level. They arrive dressed in their best clothes, with a picnic, and spend the whole day and night 'visiting' their deceased loved ones. Tradition says that a plate of food must also be served to the one who you are visiting. As night approaches, it turns into a big party, where the living celebrate with the dead. Whilst this tradition may seem weird to some other cultures, the idea behind it is actually quite sweet. On arrival in Sumpango we passed through the cemetery, and the care and attention that was being paid to tending to the graves was heart warming. Children were flying kites off the mausoleums whilst others were covering mounds with long grasses and flowers. There was a lot of pride in what they were doing. It was fascinating to watch, but we didn't stay long as we felt we were intruding.

So, how does the Kite Festival in Sumpango tie into the Day of the Dead celebrations? Legend has it that the festival was born many years ago when the residents of Sumpango sought the help of a Witch Doctor to rid them of annoying and bothersome spirits. A sort of latter day Ghostbuster. The Witch Doctor suggested they get big pieces of paper and let them fly in the wind and make lots of noise to scare off the unwanted spirits. Eventually, somebody figured that kites are a more effective spirit-scaring device, and that's how the tradition was born. 

Every year at Sumpango people gather to show off their kites in a large field above the town and the cemetery. What makes it unique is the size of the kites. Some are huge! The Kites or 'Barilletes Gigantes' are constructed with tissue paper, tape and bamboo struts. They range in size from 2 metres to 12 metres in height and are truly amazing. Some of the bamboo struts holding them together are thicker than a human arm! Many community groups take up to seven months making their kites and there is big prize money for the winning ones, so it is taken very seriously.

When it came to flying the kites, it took a group of between 4 and six people to hold on to the line attached to the kite. These people had to run backwards and forwards through the huge crowds, to allow the kites to catch the wind, gain momentum and fly. On more than one occasion, a kite would fly briefly then come plummeting down on the heads of unsuspecting spectators. This would cause much delight to some, and no doubt injuries to others, and all would be met with 'Oohs' and 'Aahs' from the crowd. On one occasion, a kite crash landed on top of a roof of a nearby structure as its tail got wrapped around the line of a kite already flying.

There was an all ladies team who proved to be a big hit. Their kite was a very pretty blue one, and the ladies flying the kite got lots of applause from the crowd. 

We got to see the 2,4 and 6 metre kites fly, but sadly had to leave before the 8 metre ones went up. We understood that they don't fly the really big kites. They are merely judged on their appearance and the message portrayed within. 

There were reportedly 125,000 people at the event this year. We can't say if that was the case, we doubt that very much, but it was packed. There were people as far as the eye could see. It is the first time we had been amongst so many people in a very long time, and at times it was a bit scary as the crowds bottle-necked to get through an exit. 

The area all around the field had stalls selling food, clothes and gifts.

Feeling certain that no troublesome spirits where still in the vicinity, we made our way back. Our coach was too large to get anywhere near the action, so we had a fair walk back to the main road and rendezvous place. Remarkably, out of a party of 29, none of our group got lost. We all spent the journey back to our hotel in Antigua exchanging stories of our experiences. Unfortunately, one or two in the group had suffered at the hands of pickpockets, despite being warned of the danger


Later that evening and back in Antigua, we came across hundreds of men dressed in black suits. In the street outside the hotel we were greeted by large clouds of incense and yet more people dressed in black. It was obvious that they were part of a parade, so we went up to the balcony on the first floor of the hotel to watch the procession unfold. We later learned that it was the annual Antigua procession commemorating the Souls of the Departed. The Roman Catholic Escuela de Jesus (school of Jesus) created a float with the lifeless body of Jesus being mourned by the Virgin Mary, the Angel Gabriel at hand, borne by numerous men and women throughout the streets. Dirge-playing marching bands and robed marchers followed. The parade honours the spirits of the ancestors, those who suffered and died, and those who carry great burdens. So, that explained why there were so many men dressed in black! The float was enormous, with over 100 men carrying it. Lynne counted 50 men down each side of the float, three men at the front and three men at the rear. Those in the middle at the front and back 'swung' the float from side to side, whilst the men on each side carried it forward. 

In the next update we will talk a little about our time in the old capital of Antigua, and our short visit to lake Atitlan.