More Than Just Kites: Why Guatemala’s 48th Sumpango Giant Kite Festival Matters On Day Of The Dead; All You Need To Know

Day of the Dead, which is observed at the end of October and the beginning of November, mostly in Mexico, has similar or related traditions observed in other Latin American countries, and one of the countries is Guatemala. The country is also celebrating the Day of the Dead with the giant kite festival, known as the Barriletes Gigantes. UNESCO also recognises this tradition in Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez. It is believed to serve as a symbolic bridge between the living and their deceased ancestors. Let's know about the festival in detail and how it is associated with the Day of the Dead.

Guatemala observes Kite Festival on Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead is being celebrated in Mexico and Latin American countries, and one of the countries, Guatemala, is observing the festival with the Giant Kite Festival, de Barriletes Gigantes (The Giant Kite Festival). It is held as part of Day of the Dead celebrations in the municipality of Sumpango, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala. According to the Mayan worldview (the holistic system of belief where nature is alive and sacred), the tradition of making kites serves as a bridge between the world of the living and the souls of the dead. In 2024, the traditional kite-making technique was inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list.

Handcrafted kites connect earth and sky

Locals and visitors celebrated the festival at the cemetery in the city of Santiago Sacatepéquez, raising handcrafted kites, “barriletes”, made of bamboo and tissue paper or fabrics to connect the earth with the sky, symbolising sending messages to the deceased ones. Giant kites are lifted from the ground with the help of ropes tied to them.

A tradition dating back centuries

The tradition of making and flying kites in Santiago Sacatepéquez and Sumpango, Guatemala, dates back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The vibrant-themed kites are made over several months and exhibited during the fairs of All Saints' Day, November 1, and the Day of the Dead, November 2, with the aim of communicating with the ancestors.