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Christmas in GuatemalaFeliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo! In Guatemala, the folklore relating to the Christmas celebration is very rich and full of details. One will find many families building manger scenes, representing the town of Bethlehem. These manger scenes sometimes are so large they occupy a whole room of the home. Mountains, rivers, desserts, lakes, and valleys, along with figures of the holy family, wise men, shepherds, and animals are created out of natural materials like moss, colored wooddust, sand, pebbles and tropical leaves called "pacaya." |
It
is the tradition of the Guatemalan
people to go to church on Christmas
Eve and then visit family and
friends. At the exact stroke
of midnight, when everyone has
returned home, much like the
New Year's celebration in the
U.S., the "Christmas
Embrace" is
shared and young people set
off firecrackers. Traditionally,
everyone eats a dinner of delicious "tamal," made
of corn and rice, filled with
turkey, prunes, raisins and
a sauce made with local spices,
which has been cooked for at
least eight hours. Tamal is
packed in banana leaves and
tied with a dried weed. It is
served with white bread and
a slice of lemon, accompanied
with a cup of hot chocolate
or coffee.
The
Christmas celebration in Guatemala
continues well into the early
morning hours of Christmas
day. At midday on the 25th,
people will again set off
firecrackers and attend church.
Children are very much an
important part of this special
celebration.
