Que Pasa Magazine » Holidays

The October Revolution

Kevin Cole — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 06:00:37 +0000

October is a month that has various celebrations: Halloween, Columbus Day, Canadian Thanksgiving, and a Guatemalan holiday that commemorates an event that few outside the country know about: Revolution Day. What was this revolution? When did it happen? What was the outcome? Curious? Here are the answers…

Guatemalan society has had some stellar moments in which it has been possible to gaze beyond the horizon, away from the hardships of everyday life, and envision something better. One such moment was the October Revolution of 1944, a historical moment that marked the lives of the people of Guatemala.

In 1944, General Jorge Ubico’s thirteen-year dictatorship (1931-’44) of Guatemala was overthrown by the October Revolutionaries, a group of Guatemalan nationalists – politically dissident military officers, university students and middle-class liberal professionals – who felt politically empowered by the almost-simultaneous revolutions that had deposed dictatorships in Venezuela, Cuba, and El Salvador.

The killing of a schoolteacher by a Guatemalan Army soldier had led to unrest and moral outrage, and the populace rose in a general strike and nationwide protests that caused the national economy to grind to a halt. President Ubico resigned in early July amid the turmoil, but had passed the reins of power to a hand-picked triumvirate consisting entirely of military generals. The three generals promised to convene the National Assembly to hold an election for a provisional president, but when the congress met a few days later, soldiers held the congressmen at gunpoint and forced them to vote for one of the triumvirate’s generals (General Federico Ponce Vaides) rather than for the popular civilian candidate. Under duress, the Assembly appointed General Ponce who continued to take orders from Ubico and also kept many of the officials who had worked in the Ubico administration. The repressive policies of the Ubico administration were continued.

Opposition groups began organizing again, this time joined by many prominent political and military leaders.

On October 20, 1944, an armed uprising took place in Guatemala City. A small group of soldiers and students led by Jacobo Árbenz (who would later become president in 1951) and Major Francisco Arana attacked the National Palace, in what would later become known as the “October Revolution.” General Ponce was defeated and driven into exile, and Árbenz, Arana, and a lawyer name Jorge Toriello established a junta and declared that they would hold democratic elections before the end of the year.

The winner of those elections was a philosophy professor named Juan José Arévalo who ran as the candidate for a coalition of leftist parties known as the Partido Acción Revolucionaria (“Revolutionary Action Party”), and won 85% of the vote in elections that were widely considered to have been fair and open. Arévalo implemented social reforms such as minimum wage laws, increased educational funding, near-universal suffrage, and labor reforms. A new constitution was adopted in March 1945.

This military respect for law began what is known as “The Ten Years of Spring,” a democratic period of free speech and open political activity, plans for national land reform, and the perception that much and great political progress could be made in the civil governance of Guatemala. The October Revolution was the first time a transformation of the plight of Guatemalan society was attempted. The struggle for political and social change has continued to the present. But many of the issues, which emerged in the years following the Revolution, continue to concern Guatemalans today.

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Guatemala Your Immortal Name*

Kevin Cole — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 07:21:52 +0000

September is the month that exemplifies Guatemalan patriotism and national pride. Independence Day is smack-dab in the middle of the month – on the 15^th. The celebrations are in commemoration of Guatemala’s (and Central America’s) independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821. Throughout the country, in almost every city, town and village, you’ll find loads of fireworks, concerts and groups of young people running with homemade torches. In the late afternoon and evening of the 14^th, if you’re in La Antigua, head to Central Park for festivities and then on the morning of the 15^th, make sure to go to the Calle Ancha, near the municipal stadium in the north of town, where you’ll see the Independence Day parade featuring bands from most of the many schools in the area. An even bigger parade is held in Guatemala City that same morning; it passes right in front of the National Palace at the Central Plaza.

Make sure to go out and soak up the celebratory mood; it’s an opportunity see the myriad ways that chapines celebrate this important holiday.

*The last line of the Guatemalan National Anthem.

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Lent, Holy Week, and Easter in La Antigua

Kevin Cole — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 06:00:47 +0000

Check out Qué Pasa’s La Antigua Calendar on page 42 for Semana Santa events.

La Antigua is world-famous for its very elaborate Catholic religious celebrations during the 40 days of Cuaresma (Lent), leading up to the culmination of the season with Semana Santa (Holy Week) and Pascua (Easter) which commemorate the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The entire city participates in the event, and tens of thousands of visitors – both national and international – flock to La Antigua to witness the dramatic happenings.

Here is a basic guide to some of the sights, smells, and vocabulary of these captivating celebrations.

Velaciones (or Holy Vigils) ornament churches around La Antigua and the surrounding villages throughout Cuaresma (Lent). Each parish’s brotherhood, known as an hermandad, organizes its church’s velación, displaying their religious processional statue in front of or near the main altar. Usually a backdrop is made and a biblical or allegorical scene is created using the parish’s processional image of Jesus, other statues, and additional props. In recent years, many of the more elaborate velaciones have also employed soundtracks and timed lighting displays to add to the spectacle. At the foot of the display lies a vibrant handmade alfombra (carpet) made of brightly dyed sawdust, edged by a huerto (garden), an eye-catching display made of a beautiful combination of flowers, fruits, vegetables, bread, candles, and a large native seed pod with a unique odor that is traditionally evocative of Cuaresma – the corozo.

To find out how you can participate in a procession, see the interview “A Cucurucho for a Day” (from our April 2011 issue) on our website.

Each Sunday during Lent, and then during Holy Week itself, different local parishes sponsor procesiones (religious processions) through the streets of La Antigua. Each procession leaves its church and follows a pre-planned route before returning to the church several hours later.

Procesiones generally begin with men dressed as Roman Centurions leading the way (in a reference to Jesus’ crucifixion at the hands of the Romans), then come incense carriers and banner carriers. Behind them is the central attraction of the procession, the anda (a large wooden platform) bearing the parish’s religious processional sculpture of Jesus set amid lavish decoration. Many of these statues were made during the Spanish colonial period and can date back as far as the mid-17th century. The anda is carried on the shoulders of cucuruchos (carriers), who wear purple full-length tunics in the processions up until 3 PM on Viernes Santo (Good Friday), then black in the procesiones after that.

The largest of the andas can weigh as much as 7,000 pounds (3,150 kgs).

Each group of cucuruchos will carry the anda for a specific distance (a turno or turn) and then a new group will take over. The members of each turn are determined by the carriers’ shoulder height to ensure that the anda is level and balanced. This is important, as the largest of the andas can weigh as much as 7,000 pounds (3,150 kgs) and are carried by as many as 100 cucuruchos at a time.

In the past, the cucuruchos participated solely as a form of penance. Today there is some degree of social status involved, but the principal motivation is still a show of devotion by the carriers.

About a block behind the main anda, women carry a smaller anda with the figure of La Virgen María (The Virgin Mary). These female carriers are known as dolorosas or cargadoras. They also have turnos throughout the various hours of the procession. The women wear black skirts or dresses and also a mantilla (a head-covering, usually lace). Following behind the anda of the Virgin Mary are a funeral band and two additional, very small andas (usually carried by only 4 cucuruchos each) carrying the sculptures of San Juan (St. John) and María Magdalena (Mary Magdalene).

Elaborate and beautifully artistic alfombras (carpets) made of aserrín (sawdust) or viruta (wood shavings) dyed in bright colors, pine needles, flowers such as bougainvillea, chrysanthemums, carnations, and roses, and even fruits and vegetables are constructed during the hours prior to adorn the route of the procesiones. Sand or sawdust is generally used to level the cobblestone street, then the decorative elements are painstakingly arranged on top. The alfombras are made by residents along the route of the procession who invite friends and family to assist them in their construction.

As the procession passes over an alfombra, it is destroyed in the scuffle of feet, leaving nothing but a pile of debris which is quickly cleaned up by municipal cleaning crews that follow the procesión. The fact that the hours of labor and artistic talent that went into the making of the alfombra are wiped clean in a matter of minutes is a reminder that all beauty in the world is transient.

Photos:
Guillermo Gedé
Raúl Illescas

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When is Easter This Year?

Victor Sales — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 06:00:27 +0000

A sketch of the moon phases by the Italian astronomer, philosopher, physicist, and mathematician Galileo Galilei.

Here in Guatemala, each year during March and April, we begin to make preparations for Easter. Some buy their turns to carry in the procesión of their choice. Others are preparing to make pilgrimages through the streets and once again feel the fervor that stirs their souls. And, of course, there are those who start planning their next vacation.

Whatever decision we make, there is something that affects all of us: When is Holy Week and Easter this year? Of course, it’s easy to find the answer: look at a calendar, check the internet, or just ask someone. But the issue goes beyond that. Why is it that the date of this holiday varies from year to year? Why isn’t it on a specific day, like Christmas, Mayan New Year or Valentine’s Day? The answers can be found back in time, back in the very foundations of Christianity – when it was gaining strength in the Roman Empire and fought to distinguish itself from Judaism, when it was emerging from the obscurity in which it had been immersed due to persecution at the hands of the leaders of the time.

Christianity ceased to be a cult of only a few believers and became the official religion of the Roman Empire by decree of Emperor Constantine, and it was at the 1st Council of Nicaea in

AD 325 where agreements were reached about the future of this new form of religious consciousness. It is at this point that certain astronomical events, the commemoration of the Jews’ escape from Egypt, and the Resurrection of Jesus are merged into a new celebration, which over the years has become the tradition we know today as Holy Week and Easter.

In one corner of this triangle are two specific astronomical events, which directly affect this tradition, the spring equinox and the first full moon afterward. The first relates to the position of the earth in its orbit around the sun: the point at which both of earth’s hemispheres are the same distance from the sun, so that sunlight falls equally across the globe. On this day, the equinox, night and day are exactly the same – this means that, in the northern hemisphere, winter is over, snow melts, the cold diminishes, and the sun’s rays begin to warm the region, bringing new life and the renewal of nature. The cycle begins anew. In the southern hemisphere, the exact opposite begins to happen.

The illumination of earth by the sun on the day of the equinox.

The other astronomical event that affects the date of Easter is the first full moon after the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere. Since each moon cycle takes about 29½ days, the date of the full moon can vary from year to year. This full moon can occur as early as March 22 and as late as April 25. Remember, the calendar that we use is based on a solar count.

The Jews, the Chinese, and other cultures use a calendar based on a lunar system, which leads to the second point: Easter is a celebration based on the commemoration of the Jewish Exodus, the departure from Egyptian bondage of this people for their promised land. In other words, the Christian Easter is a celebration with Jewish roots, but was modified so as not to be confused with the celebration of Passover.

Finally we have the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is celebrated by the Christian world. Jesus was crucified and after three days rose from the dead, proving that he was the true Son of God. All this is known as the Passion, and is one of the most important foundations of Christianity.

Images depicting the Resurrection of Jesus.

So, to recap: there’s the spring equinox, which reminds us that even though everything ends, it will begin again and life always continues; the full moon gives us both the hope to see even in darkness and the certainty that there will always be light, even in the darkness of night; the Exodus of the Jews tells us that not all bondage is forever and there is always the chance to start anew; and finally there’s the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which shows that triumph over death is possible and that there is hope of life after death.

The conjunction of these events at Easter suggest that the true message remains from its beginning: when there is life, there are colors, there is light, there is a continuation from one stage of life to another; we are never tied to anything forever; everything flows like the waters of a river to meet the vast sea; if there are no flowers today, there will be tomorrow; if we‘re sad today, that too shall pass. Simply put, it is this cycle that gives us the possibility to start again. Make the most of the opportunity.

Photos by:
Wiki Commons

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Horseracing in the Highlands

Claire — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:49 +0000

Photo by Claire Bourgin

Horseracing in the Highlands - Immerse yourself in tradition for the Día de Todos los Santos
In Guatemala, there are many festivities on November 1st in celebration of All Saints’ Day (Día de Todos los Santos), and the town of Todos Santos Cuchumatán is one of the places to be for the occasion. It’s a small village in the Cuchumatanes Mountains in the northwest of the department of Huehuetenango. Over the centuries, they have kept their traditions alive and the horserace on the 1st of November is one of them.

At 2,500 meters above sea level (8,200 ft.), Todos Santos Cuchumatán is surrounded by mountains. Located three hours north of the city of Huehuetenango, Todos Santos is one of the places in Guatemala, along with Lake Atitlán, where men, women and children alike wear the fashions of their ancestors. The majority of men are farmers and most of the women are weavers. The language of the area is Mam, one of the 23 indigenous languages of Guatemala, and most residents also speak Spanish as a second language.

The origin of the November 1st horse race is vague. It could be the celebration of the triumph of a group of Mam who took horses and escaped from the Spaniards. Or it could be linked to the ritual purification of the soil, as participants sacrifice chickens and spill their blood. It is not a competition; people just ride for fun and out of tradition, which sometimes confuses foreigners: there’s no “winner.” But it’s certainly fun to watch.

Photo by Claire Bourgin

Most of the riders have stayed up the night before drinking in celebration with their friends and family. Many are so intoxicated during the race that it’s a wonder they can stay on their horses! But sometimes they don’t, and they fall off. If someone dies, supposedly it means that it’s going to be a good year for the town. The riders dress with plumes and a special belt and jacket, and they race the length of a hundred-meter track – back and forth, back and forth. And so it goes, all day long. According to local superstition, the horsemen have to participate in the race for four consecutive years. No more, no less, or else it brings bad luck. For their last year, they have to eat an entire chicken the night before the race. During the race, each rider carries another chicken with him on his horse, and at the end of the day, the chicken’s head is cut off as a sacrifice. Some people can spend up to Q20,000 (around $2,600) during the three days of the celebrations in Todos Santos Cuchumatán; this represents a huge outlay of money in this impoverished community, but it’s all in the name of tradition and celebration.

The sale and consumption of alcohol was banned by the mayor of Todos Santos about four years ago. Now it’s only allowed during the week of the festival. With alcohol prohibited during the rest of the year, many make the most of this limited period of availability, and those who have imbibed too much can be seen trying to stay on their feet or sleeping in the streets.

On November 2nd, the entire population of Todos Santos Cuchumatán goes to the cemetery to celebrate their dead; they decorate the tombs with garlands, flowers and candles, and they improvise small ceremonies accompanied by the sound of firecrackers and marimba.

WHERE TO STAY
Todos Santos Cuchumatán does not have many hotels and they tend to fill up quickly for the celebration.
So it’s best to make a reservation.

CASA FAMILIAR
Cost: 1 person – $20 (Q150); 2 people $26(Q200) Telephone: 4791-1412
It’s the most luxurious hotel in Todos Santos. There are 10 rooms with both double and single beds. Each room has a private bathroom with hot water, and some of the rooms have TVs. They offer shared meals and they show movies about Todos Santos. There is a shop where coffee is served and chocolate, and products from the weaving cooperative are available. The hotel is located on the left-hand side of the street that climbs the hill to the left of the park.

HOTELITO TODOS SANTOS
Cost: 1 person, shared bathroom – $12 (Q90);
2 people, private bathroom – $16 (Q125).
Telephone: 7783-0603 or 5327-9313
This hotel has 15 rooms, 6 of them with private bathrooms. The single, double and triple rooms are comfortable, and extra blankets are available upon request. The private bathrooms have hot water and towels. There is a cozy communal living room, as well as a dining room where breakfast is served (not included in the room price). The outside door is locked at 10:30 PM, but there is a bell for late entries.Take the street to the left of the park. Take a left at the first street. The hotel is located on the right-hand side about 30 meters down.

HOTEL MAM
Cost: 1 person – $5.00 (Q40);
2-3 people – $4.50 (Q35) per person.
Telephone: 5192-1794
Hotel Mam has five rooms with double beds which all have shared bathrooms. All bathrooms have hot water. There is also a traditional Mayan sauna (chuj) available for use for an additional charge. Take the street to the left of the park. Take a left at the first street. Hotel Mam is located on the right-hand side about 20 meters down.

HOTEL EL VIAJERO
Cost: Per person, shared bathroom;
$4.00 (Q30).
Telephone Number: 5789-3175
This hotel has 5 rooms, only one of which has a private bathroom. All are equipped with queen-sized beds. The bathrooms have hot water. You can use the kitchen for Q5/day. You can also climb up to the roof to eat or just enjoy the view.

To get to this hotel, take the street to the left of the park. Take a left at the first street. You’ll pass Hotel Mam and Hotelito Todos Santos. Continue until the next street. Take a right up the hill. The hotel is located on the right-hand side about 10 meters up the hill.

For more information about other festivities taking place on the
Día de Todos Santos (November 1st),
see page 20.
For more information on transportation and guides, contact Adrenalina Tours at 7932-5858 or info@adrenalinatours.com, or visit adrenalinatours.com.

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All Saints’ Day

Kevin Cole — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:13 +0000

All Saints’ Day - Cementery Decoration

Depending on when during the month of October you’re picking up this edition of Qué Pasa, All Saints’ Day, which is celebrated on November 1st, is either right around the corner or almost a month away. Either way, mark your calendar now, because you won’t want to miss these events!

All Saints’ Day is a Roman Catholic holiday and dates from the Middle Ages, when Pope Gregory IV declared November 1st a feast day to commemorate saints in Heaven. In Guatemala, it’s a national holiday and is marked by various traditions and festivities.

Cementery Decoration
Guatemalans flock to the cemeteries to celebrate All Saints’ Day. For this one day, the image of cemeteries as places of peace, sadness, death, and the ideal setting for horror films is replaced by a completely different ambiance, becoming the meeting place for thousands of the living, carrying flowers, food, drinks of all kinds, and even enjoying mariachi music. Family members and friends congregate at the tombs of loved ones to tidy up and adorn the graves with wreaths, flowers, garlands, and candles.

Just outside the cemetery in La Antigua (as well as outside of the majority of cemeteries in the country), you can also find all types of vendors with a wide array of typical celebration foods as well as flowers, wreaths, and other items to decorate the graves.

On November 1st, cemeteries are places full of life, while paradoxically most places where the living go about their daily lives, such as shops, offices, and entertainment centers, are closed.

Both towns are in full fiesta mode for All Saints’ Day, with hundreds, if not thousands, of people celebrating. According to tradition, giant kites are flown to raise the souls of the dead to Heaven and to turn away evil spirits. The giant kites are a mix of art, tradition and color, through which, the locals carry messages of unity, love, faith, and respect for Mother Earth. Many also believe that they can communicate with their dead and send good messages to them on the kites. So the designs employ all the colors of the rainbow to communicate messages of happiness. The families of the towns work for months on the construction of these giant kites – which can be as large as 10 meters (about 32 feet) in diameter! A single kite can be worth up to Q60,000 (almost $7,900), taking into account the price of materials and the builders’ labor; however, beyond the economic cost, the true value is the symbolic and spiritual value it contains.

Towards the end of the day, a jury selects the best kite design and gives a prize to the winning family. There is also music, companionship, and the vendors’ stands with many things – flowers, food, beverages, candies – and much more to enjoy!

Fiambre
Some foreigners have called fiambre a “type of chef’s salad”; this is like saying that the Hope Diamond is just some kind of rock. Fiambre is so much more. Although each family has its own recipe for fiambre, and each version tastes a little bit different, all versions have as many as 25 different cold-cuts and about the same number of vegetables. Each ingredient is cut into a different shape and is cooked separately before being assembled into the glorious whole. Because of the immense quantity of work, all members of the family help out.

Qué Pasa is not a cooking magazine and we’re not going to print a recipe, but here’s a sampling of the items you’ll need if you want to make your own: ham, lettuce, radishes, various kinds of sausages, green beans, carrots, mortadela, onions, asparagus, multiple kinds of chorizo, olives, cauliflower, chicken, cabbage, pacaya, capers, multiple varieties of cheeses, chiles, parsley, cilantro, vinegar, celery, hard-boiled eggs, salt, pepper, and various spices…etc. And of course, the one ingredient that defines whether it’s fiambre blanco (white fiambre) or fiambre colorado (red fiambre): beets. (For those of you not from North America, that’s “beetroot.”)

Obviously, unless you have a good kitchen, lots of time and inclination, and great cooking skills, you might be better off buying a plate (or two) from various businesses around town that sell fiambre around November 1st. Or better yet, wrangle an invitation to the house of a Guatemalan friend (to help with both the preparation and the eating) and enjoy!

Kite and cementery photos by Ajita Chowhan and Keri Peyton.

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Celebrating September 15th

Victor Sales — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 06:00:27 +0000

Independence Day

This September 15th, Guatemala and the rest of Central America will celebrate the 190th anniversary of their independence.

The year was 1821 when, after two previous attempts, independence was declared from the Kingdom of Spain. Due to the instability of the Spanish monarchy, the attainment of independence for Central America was relatively peaceful. Unlike other countries in the Americas, which fought fierce battles to become independent states, Central America was the exception.

But apart from the particular details that resulted in the region’s independence, and whether or not the grand ideas of that day have been fully achieved, each year we have the opportunity to celebrate in the city streets, to the sound of drums and the roar of marching bands. We can run from our birthplace to Central Park and take the torch, the flame, the light of hope back to our people, or we can just enjoy the excitement, knowing that on this particular day there was a fresh start on the road that led us to this point.

This day also gives us the opportunity to reflect on what it means to be a country – a singular place; what it means to have the blood of this beautiful country flowing through our veins. Perhaps we can learn something and can look to the future with new eyes. The essence of independence is to leave behind what binds us and to find within us the vision that points the way to becoming better individuals and thus a better society, a better country, a better continent, and a better world.

Photos byVíctor Gonzalez and Nora Demattio

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