EASTER WEEK

In Guatemala Easter week is probably the most important event of the year. It's celebrated with great enthusiasm in the whole country and more particularly in Antigua.
During the nights, from Thursday to Friday, superb rugs made out of colored sawdust or flowers are elaborated. On Friday morning, at 6:00am, huge processions come out of the different churches and go through the town destroying on their way these incredible works of art.

ALL SAINT DAY

This event is celebrated on November 1st in a very peculiar way in:

- Todos Santos where the indigenous organize a horse race besides their traditional folkloristic dances.

- Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepequez. These two villages are situated less than half an hour from Antigua and they organize the festival of giant kites. The villagers build enormous kites and gather in the cemetery to fly them, it's a way to communicate with the spirit of the dead. Some kites have written messages for the deceased.

RABIN AJAU FESTIVAL

This event takes place during the last week of July in Coban, Alta Verapaz. This is the most important indigenous festival; it's the election of the queen of the indigenous who will become princess of Tesulutan for one year. This festivity is also very colorful due to the folkloric dances and all the typical costumes.

EL PALO VOLADOR

From December 18th to the 21st in Chichicastenango.
A procession of the most important confraternity of the village marches through town escorted by the sound of drums and firecrackers while some of the young people throw themselves from the top of a pole, tied only with a cord and "fly" while it unrolls.