Guatemala Events and Festivals

3/01/2009 - 3/31/2009Holy Week

Lake Atitlan is one of the most beautiful places in Guatemala and is surrounded by verdant hills with twin volcanic peaks rising evocatively in the background. It is a major centre for indigenous Guatemalans and also for tourists. The town of Santiago, in the southwest corner of the lake, is the largest and most traditional village and the scene of Easter celebrations which combine Catholic rituals with local and ethnic traditions. Intricately-decorated biers are carried through streets carpeted with many-coloured petals and leaves. The scenes are powerfully religious but not in an entirely Catholic way, as Christian evangelism never succeeded in obliterating the old deities here. In a final parade, Christ on the cross makes his way through the streets to the church, where he meets one of his predecessors, a local deity called "Maximon" who represents carnal pleasures. The celebrations run throughout the duration of Easter week.