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15 images Created 4 Oct 2013

Dia de los Muertos, Guatemala

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.
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  • Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated Nov. 1st in Sumpango, Guatemala with the Festival of Giant Kites (Festival de Barriletes Gigantes).
    DayofDead Guatemala-302.jpg
  • In a field adjacent to the Sumpango Cemetary, kites up to 50 meters in diameter are raised in honor of the dead. The intricate designs carry a message of religious, prophetic or political nature.
    DayofDead Guatemala-312.jpg
  • The kites are constructed with intricate designs of colored tissue paper anchored on a bamboo web.
    DayofDead Guatemala-140.jpg
  • A man decorates the gravesite of a departed loved one, Sumpango Cemetary, Guatemala.
    DayofDead Guatemala-49.jpg
  • Incense is burned at a decorated gravesite, Sumpango Cemetary, Guatemala.
    DayofDead Guatemala-68.jpg
  • A group posing for a picture is dwarfed by the size of the giant kite.
    DayofDead Guatemala-148.jpg
  • The kites in flight symbolize the communication between the living and the dead.
    DayofDead Guatemala-221.jpg
  • The intricate designs of the kites often hold a religious, prophetic, or political message.
    DayofDead Guatemala-306.jpg
  • A giant kite is raised for display. These kites can span 50 feet in diameter.
    DayofDead Guatemala-197.jpg
  • Young boys prepare a kite for the flying competition.
    DayofDead Guatemala-180.jpg
  • A giant kite on display for Festival de Barriletes Gigantes "Festival of the Giant Kites."
    DayofDead Guatemala-190.jpg
  • One of the smaller kites is raised during the flight competition.
    DayofDead Guatemala-248.jpg
  • Preparing for launch in competition, a young boy proudly raises his kite.
    DayofDead Guatemala-237.jpg
  • Food vendors grill fresh meat, Festival de Barriletes, Sumpango Guatemala.
    DayofDead Guatemala-298.jpg
  • A giant kite on display in the hillside, Sumpango, Guatemala.
    DayofDead Guatemala-333.jpg