What Is A Commonly Celebrated Holiday In Guatemala?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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The most famous celebration in all of Guatemala is

Semana Santa

—the weeklong observance of Christian Holy Week. The festivities in Antigua are arguably the most impressive in Latin America.

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What are the main holidays celebrated in Guatemala?

  • Semana Santa / Holy Week. When: March or April. …
  • Festival Folklórico de Cobán / Cobán Folkloric Festival. When: last week of July. …
  • Día de la Independencia / Independence Day. When: September 15

    th

  • Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead. …
  • Feria de Santo Tomás / Feast of St. …
  • (Bonus!)

What holiday is commonly celebrated?

The most popular national holidays in the United States are

Christmas and Thanksgiving

. While Christmas is celebrated around the world, Thanksgiving is celebrated in a smaller number of countries. Other than in the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated also in Canada, Liberia, Saint Lucia, and Grenada.

What is a popular tradition in Guatemala?

Much like in Spain, Guatemalan people celebrate

Christmas, Advent, Three Kings, and Easter

as the most important holidays of the year. Additionally, each village and town honors their respective patron saints and other local events annually. Food also plays an important role in most Guatemalan celebrations.

What holiday is it today in Guatemala?

Day Date Name Wednesday Jun 30 Army Day Sunday Aug 15 Assumption Day Wednesday Sep 15 Independence Day Wednesday Oct 20

Revolution Day

How is Assumption Day celebrated in Guatemala?

The feast day of the Virgin of the Assumption is August 15th, and

commemorates the Virgin Mary's glorious rise to heaven

. It is a time when thousands congregate to witness and perform in one of Guatemala City's chief religious processions. … The church is home to two confraternities that organize the August processions.

How is Guatemala Independence Day celebrated?

Guatemala Independence Day celebrations include

plays, lectures, and book readings

. Guatemalan oral tradition is rich. At Guatemala City's Teatro Nacional (National Theater), actors dramatize traditional leyendas (legends) to commemorate Independence Day.

What is the most commonly celebrated holiday in the world?

  • Christmas. Christmas may be represented by presents and Santa Claus nowadays, but this popular holiday had another origin story. …
  • Hanukkah. …
  • New Year. …
  • Chinese New Year. …
  • Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr. …
  • Easter. …
  • Valentine's Day. …
  • Diwali.

What is the 2nd most popular holiday?

Rank Date Holiday 1 December 25 (Fixed) Christmas 2 November 22–28 (Floating Thursday)

Thanksgiving
3 May 8–14 (Floating Sunday) Mother's Day 4 March 22 – April 25 (Floating Sunday) Easter

What do all holidays have in common?


Discounts

. Carrying over holiday product the day after the event can be devastating to your return on investment. Many times the loss of revenue goes unnoticed.

How do they celebrate All Saints Day in Guatemala?

It's a day to celebrate and remember loved ones who have passed away. In Guatemala,

families traditionally visit cemeteries and reunite at the graves of their loved ones

. They tend to the graves, taking time to decorate them with beautiful flowers, palms, pine needles and wreaths.

What religious celebrations take place in Guatemala during Christmas?

It all starts on December 7th with

the Quema del Diablo “burning of the devil”

. This is a religious celebration where Guatemalans put up bonfires on the streets and even burn Piñatas shaped as little devils. In places such as La Antigua, Guatemala, it is a huge party where tons of Catholics gather on the street.

How do they celebrate the holiday in Guatemala Day of the Dead?

One of the most popular traditions among local Guatemalans on the Day of the Dead is to

visit the grave sites of their loved ones

. … Tradition says that a plate must also be served to the ones being visited and are thus placed on the ofrenda while the rest of the family eats and celebrates.

How is Christmas celebrated in Guatemala?

Christmas celebrations begin

with a special dinner on Christmas Eve

. Families spend the evening together, with plenty of music and gifts. The Christmas hug is given at midnight before the family blows whistles and sets off firecrackers. On Christmas morning, the air is filled with smoke from all of the celebrations.

Do they celebrate Thanksgiving in Guatemala?

That's now tradition for many Guatemalans — or “los chapines,” as

Guatemala natives

are called. They have embraced the American tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving Day while focusing very much on the culinary hallmarks that define Guatemalan cooking.

How is Semana Santa celebrated in Guatemala?

Guatemalans hang curtains, cloth bows, and paper decorations of purple, red, lilac and yellow in doorways and windows to signify the suffering and royalty of Jesus. The procession on Palm Sunday includes andas (“floats”) displaying scenes of the figures of Christ and the Holy Virgin of Sorrow.

What holy day is August 15th?

Year Date Day 2025 August 15

Friday

Who celebrates Independence Day September 15?

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — On Sept. 15, it marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, which coincides with a number of Independence Day celebrations for Central American countries including

El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala

, and others.

What is Revolution Day Guatemala?

Revolution Day is

a national holiday

in the Republic of Guatemala on October 20th. This holiday commemorates the revolution that took place on this day in 1944.

Who celebrates Independence Day September 16?

Día de la Independencia celebrates

Mexico's

freedom from Spain after the September 16, 1810 uprising that launched an 11-year war. HOUSTON — Mexican Independence Day — Día de la Independencia — is celebrated every year on September 16 to commemorate the country's freedom from centuries of Spanish rule.

Why does Guatemala celebrate independence?

This public holiday is Guatemala's National Day and is always celebrated on September 15th. Independence Day in Guatemala

commemorates the independence of the Central American provinces from Spanish rule on this day in 1821

.

What's the least celebrated holiday?

  • Shichi-Go-San.
  • St. Lucia Day.
  • Diwali.
  • St. Andrew's Day.
  • Songkran Festival.

Is Halloween the most popular holiday?

Halloween is now

the United States' second most popular holiday

(after Christmas) for decorating; the sale of candy and costumes is also extremely common during the holiday, which is marketed to children and adults alike.

Is Halloween popular?

Halloween is

a widely celebrated tradition in the United States

, with around 70 percent of Americans planning to participate in Halloween celebrations in the years preceding 2020. In 2020, however, planned participation fell to 58 percent, with the Covid-19 pandemic a likely reason.

Is Halloween bigger than Christmas?

It's been said that Halloween has increased in popularity so much that

it falls second to only Christmas in

terms of total consumer retail spending. … Halloween is at #2 in total retail spending. Christmas (or Winter Holidays) is, and forever will be at #1.

What is the most popular 2021 holiday?


Thanksgiving and Christmas

are the most popular holidays in the United States. According to a survey conducted in the third quarter of 2021, Thanksgiving had a popularity rating of 81 percent, followed by Christmas with 77 percent.

What holiday is first day?


New Year's Day

(1 January) – Holiday observing the first day of the year in the Gregorian calendar.

What is celebrated on November 2nd?


Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos

, is a traditional Mexican holiday celebrated November 2. On this day, it is believed that the souls of the dead return to visit their living family members.

How does Guatemala celebrate Halloween?

Meanwhile, in Guatemala,

some families honor their dead by flying large, colorful, hand-painted kites in the sky over the graves of family members

. As it turns out, even where the idea of Halloween is believed to have originated — in western Europe — some celebrations involved honoring the dead.

What is the oldest holiday?


Halloween

, celebrated annually on October 31, is one of the world's oldest holidays. Although it's derived from ancient festivals and religious rituals, Halloween is still widely celebrated today in a number of countries around the globe.

What holiday is after Easter?


Easter Monday

is the day after Easter Sunday and a public holiday in some countries. It is the second day of Eastertide. In Western Christianity, it is also the second day of the Octave of Easter, and in Eastern Christianity, it is also the second day of Bright Week.

How do you celebrate Dia de los Santos?

Traditions of Dia de Los Santos

At the cemeteries, the souls are greeted with more food, music, and prayers. Rather than a sad occasion, the Día de Los Santos is a joyous event. In Ecuador families flock to cemeteries to celebrate, it's a

party with food, alcohol and dancing

to remember loved ones.

Who celebrate the Day of the Dead in Guatemala?

October 29, 2020. On November 1st and 2nd, “El Dia de los Difuntos” or Day of the Dead is celebrated throughout Guatemala, especially in the

Maya Kaqchikel

town of Santiago, Sacatepequez. It is here in its lush central highlands where the sacred tradition of flying giant kites was born 121 years ago.

What is All Saints Day and why do we celebrate it?

On the Solemnity of All Saints, November 1,

the Church celebrates those Christians who achieved spiritual maturity

. It is a day to venerate all the holy men and women who have been canonized by the Church.

What countries celebrate Day of the Dead?

Countries That Celebrate Day of the Dead


Mexico

is not the only country that celebrates Day of the Dead. Many other Latin countries like Columbia, Ecuador, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Peru, and Venezuela all have their distinct ways of welcoming back their passed loved ones.

What is Santa called in Guatemala?

In most of the Latin American countries you can get along with Santa Claus, but the pronunciation is

Santa Clós or Santa Cló

. There are other countries, such as Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, México, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic, where it is simplified even more using only the name Santa.

Do they have Santa Claus in Guatemala?

Santa Claus's button nose and his sleigh full of toys is not a focal point for

Guatemalan

children. … In Guatemala, children get to stay up all night on Christmas eve because at the stroke of midnight, they receive and unwrap the presents bestowed on them by parents, relatives and friends.

Which tradition takes place on December 7th?


Little Candles Day

(Spanish: Día de las velitas) is a widely observed traditional holiday in Colombia. It is celebrated on December 7 on the eve of the Immaculate Conception, which is a public holiday in Colombia. This day is the unofficial start of the Christmas season in the country.

Maria Kunar
Author
Maria Kunar
Maria is a cultural enthusiast and expert on holiday traditions. With a focus on the cultural significance of celebrations, Maria has written several blogs on the history of holidays and has been featured in various cultural publications. Maria's knowledge of traditions will help you appreciate the meaning behind celebrations.