Guatemalan children celebrate many of the same holidays that Mexican and some other Latin children enjoy, but they have different traditions that are associated with them. These traditions have developed and changed over the years, but are still very special to generations of Guatemalans

One such tradition occurs during All Saints Day, or Todos Santos. On All Saints Day, children, families, and entire villages gather for a kite festival celebration. It is unlike anything you've ever seen before. Imagine beautiful, hand-decorated colorful kites, or bariletes, that are as tall as 2-stories high! Some families work on these kites for months in order to prepare for the big festival. On each kite is usually a written or illustrated message to a loved one who has died. Guatemalans hope that their kite will reach high enough in the sky to pass along their message. Taking a drive down one of Guatemala's mountainous roads on this day would lead to breathtaking views of blue sky filled with dots of colorful kites, flying proudly in the air.

One of the favorite holidays for children is Carnaval, which also occurs in Mexico and other Latin American countries. One thing that makes Guatemalan Carnaval special is the way in which the children celebrate. The week before, children work in their homes and classrooms to create special confetti-eggs. Real eggs are cleaned out and filled with confetti, or pica-pica in Spanish. Then the top of the egg is covered with a piece of tissue paper and lightly glued with a special hand-made glue. Children eagerly hoard as many pica-pica as possible. Then, on the day of Carnaval, after the parades, the children have a giant confetti fight in the schoolyard. It's an enormous mess of colorful costumes, showers of confetti, and the satisfying cracking sound of each egg. In the end, you can't see the green of the grass because it's completely covered in a carpet of confetti!

Speaking of carpet, there is another Guatemalan tradition that makes Semana Santa, during Easter Week, extra special. It's truly a feast for the eyes. In preparation for the solemn religious parades that occur all throughout the Holy Week, entire villages spend days creating beautiful carpets or "alfombras" on the streets. During the preparations, no cars can travel on these designated roads. The carpets are made by hand using dyed wood shavings and different flower petals. They depict scenes from the church. At a glance, you would think that the carpets are real! Then the parades come through the town and walk on the special carpets to culminate the Holy Week festivities.

Of all the many Guatemalan celebrations, one theme is always present: color. Guatemalans love bright and bold colors. Can you imagine visiting there?