December 7: Burning of the Devil Guatemalans gather everything worth burning—such as waste paper and old household items—and set it ablaze to cleanse their homes for the holy weeks to come.
December 13-21: Tribute to Santo Tomás In Chichicastenango, also known as Santo Tomás Chichicastenango, there is a big festival that mixes Christian and Mayan traditions with lots of fireworks and dancing. On the last day, people swing from a rope around a pole, known as palo volador.
December 25: Christmas Day Guatemalans celebrate Christmas throughout the entire month of December, placing large emphasis on the nativity scene.
December 31: New Years Eve An abundance of fireworks make this the nosiest of all Guatemalan holidays. Tamales are traditionally eaten at midnight.
There is also a Mayan New Year celebration that celebrates life and renewal. Since the Mayan calendar has 260 days, the date varies. Each town in Guatemala also has its own holiday, usually dedicated to exalting the town's patron saint.
October 20: Revolution Day On this day, Guatemala celebrates the “October Revolution,”when dictator Jorge Ubico was overthrown in 1944. In Guatemala City, thousands of people celebrate in the streets near Plaza Mayor. Expect lots of music, dance, and as always, fireworks.
Guatemala is a very diverse country with more than 20 ethnic groups. Each of them has their own special traditions for celebrating Christmas.
Most Guatemalans, like other Latin-American counties, plan and build, with the entire family, a Nativity Scene called a "Nacimiento" or "Belen". Although it is originally a Spanish tradition, many indigenous (Guatemalan) elements are now used in the design and construction of the Nativity scenes. The "Nacimiento" is normally put under the Christmas Tree. One unique characteristic of Guatemalan Nativity scenes is the use of sawdust dyed in many bright colors.
n Christmas Eve families celebrate together and eat the main Christmas meal. It is made of several traditional dishes, but it always includes some Guatemalan tamales. In some regions they are made of corn and other of rice or potatoes. They can be sweet or not, and have several different ingredients inside like olives, prunes, peppers, chicken or pork.
Everyone waits until midnight to light hundreds of fireworks or firecrackers to celebrate the birth of Jesus. A family prayer is said around the tree and it is the custom to open the presents shortly after midnight.
Here are just some holidays I thought I would share with you because I thought they were interesting and these are not mine, I found them on two different websites.
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