Ralph Quinonez

Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated every November 1st in the Guatemalan town of Sumpango with a Festival of the Giant Kites. In a football field next to the Sumpango Cemetery, kites up to 50 feet in diameter are erected. Often taking weeks to complete, they are constructed with tissue paper over a bamboo frame. The intricate designs carry messages of religious, prophetic, or political nature. The smaller kites take flight in a competition, with the prize going to the longest duration of flight. The airborne kites symbolizes communication between the living and the dead, and the long fluttering tail is said to scare away evil spirits.