Guatemalan kite festival flying high: 30-10-2007
A very special celebration takes place in Santiago Sacatepequez, in Guatamala, on the Day Of The Dead i November when a host of giant kites take to the skies.
Guatemalans believe that they can communicate with the spirits of the dead using kites, and as such can take more than two months constructing them.
Through the sound the wind makes through the kite's tail and the slightest of movements the kite makes, natives believe that their loved ones are sending them messages.
Kites can range from eight to 30 feet in length and are made out of fabric and coloured paper, with a bamboo frame fixed by wire. Most of the designs have religious, folkloric or political themes, with last year's acuerdos de paz (peace agreement) a popular topic.
The creations are flown above the Santiago Sacatepequez cemetery on All Saint's Day by communities while families feast around the graves of lost loved ones, singing and making music.
A prize is presented for the best kite design, but the therapeutic action of flying the kites is enough to comfort most families.
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