GIANT Kite Festival [Vlog 41]

Alright, this is the festival, it's a huge kite festival and there are two in two different towns right next to each other. I'm going to go to one, the touristy one first because that one gets more packed and then I'm going to go to the more traditional one and I'm going to meet some friends there and their family. They live in Guatemala City so it's going to be a good day, it's going to be cool and interesting and hopefully I can capture this festival. So here's the route of the day. I'm in Antigua, Guatemala and I only need to ride up to Sampango for the first big kite festival and then over to Santiago Zacatepequez for the other kite festival where I'll be meeting my friends coming in from Guatemala City. But first, coconuts. To give you some background on these festivals, well, they're not just about giant kites but actually to honor the dead. Gracias. The kite festivals are a cultural event for Mayan communities which actually dates back to the pre-Columbian era, before European influences. Maybe one time before and it tastes like orange creamsicles. They're all these giant kites. So like I said, this day is not just about the incredible craft of making these huge, beautiful, intricate kites. It's actually about honoring the dead. The kites represent the union of the world of the deceased and the land of the living. And on this day, the souls of the deceased can visit the living once a year for 24 hours. And the kites act as a means to help the spirits locate their loved ones. This is the reason why the kites are built so high and so tall. The kites themselves are meant to assist the journey of the soul back to earth to visit family members who desire to communicate. As the tradition has evolved, families began attaching messages to the kites to help communicate with their ancestors. So these specific designs and colors depict specific family stories. The messages usually include some kind of social or political issue, but the tone in general is usually one of peace, hope, and companionship. I was a little confused at first as to why some of them still laid on the floor, but I would soon discover why a little bit later. Are you guys ready? Someone is like in the making right now. It's like they're finishing it up. Yeah, I don't know, it seems like maybe some, they haven't fully finished their kites. We're basically in this huge field. The big kites are kind of on this end, and then people are flying small kites on the outskirts, like around the sides, look like little tents where they're probably selling food. And then over here there's like a stadium seating type of, like four layers of stadium seating. Chill. And then over here, oh, so loud. So, so, so incredible. What amazing. And in person, it looks so small on the camera, but it looks like the most amazing backdrop. I think that's it for me, this place. We're at the more traditional one, which is about, I think, there are so many people. There are so many people. There's not so much space to pass, and stopping on the hills kind of suck. Ooh, and now it's getting warm. All of the little kites here in the street. There's so many people walking. We're like Mexican now, we're just being really Spanish. That way. I don't know. I'll just come see you guys. But it's supposed to be like more. Oh, it's still recording. It is. I think it might be better. I mean, it's more in there. Oh yeah, you can see the sand there. So the festivities in the town of Santiago are known to be the more traditional one. And actually takes place inside a cemetery. So as you're walking through, you're actually jumping over and around tombstones. This one is... Oh, there you go. What? Oh, it's out? Lift it up, lift it up. Wow. This one is, I think, the better one. A lot. We're in an actual graveyard here, man. So each of the kites take many months to construct. They are made from all natural resources, including tissue paper, woven cloth, rope from the maguay plant, and even the glue is made from yucca flour, lemon peel, and water. While the kite frame is constructed from bamboo. The kites are so big, some of which reach up to over 20 meters high. It takes practically a community to hoist them into the air above the crowd, which turns out to be a big part of the events of the day. Each kite goes up one by one for the crowds to watch and cheer on as it's an incredible feat. Now they're going to pick up this kite. They're still... They're still making it? They're still trying to figure out how to lift it up. It's hard because it moves a lot. But when they're stepping on it, they're trying to figure out how to put the pulleys, the ropes in place. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. Shifting. My brother, Stewie, was like freely joining every team. Oh, he would get into it? He was like here, and then when they were lifting it, they were like, thank you. No way. Who made it that are the ones that picked it up? Yeah, they were like teams. You could see them in the bleachers. Wait for it! Oh, it's not well organized. Look at the tie. Okay, they are lifting up this kite right here. It's going up and they have this like pulley system. Impressive. This tradition and celebration is really like no other. I felt so lucky I could be there to witness the incredible pride and joy and love that goes into this super beautiful event. Even better, I got to experience it with friends. That is crazy! And the wheel is locked, so they must have just picked up the back and moved it. Anyway, here I am today. So fun to see my friends and I'll see them later. For now, it is back to Antigua.