Christmas in Antigua… Latin American Style

As I write this, it is 12:45AM on Christmas Day.  I just experienced the most spectacular Christmas celebration.  Guatemalans really know how to do it. Latin Americans in general love their fireworks.  That stereotype is true.  But think about it.  If we didn’t have weird laws and regulations about where you can buy and set off fireworks in the US, I’m pretty sure that every man I know would spend the majority of their income on fireworks and some of them would probably be missing a few fingers.  All week there have been fireworks, cannon booms, and church bells as the background music in this small colonial town.  From my experience in Argentina last Christmas and from talking to locals here, I knew that the Christmas celebration in Antigua would happen on Christmas Eve with family gatherings in the evenings for the big dinner and then fireworks at midnight.  I’ve been extremely lucky with the hostel I’ve chosen (Villa Esthela) because the owners Juan and Danielle are wonderfully friendly, helpful, and kind.  They organized a Christmas dinner for anyone staying at either of their two hostels.  And after enjoying a large, delicious meal, about 12 of us came up to the rooftop terrace for more wine, tequila shots, and a great view for the midnight fireworks show.

Fireworks had been going off all night more regularly than previous nights.  And I mean real fireworks, not the cheap stuff that makes a big boom without any flare.  These had the big flashes of colored light spreading across the sky.  Then at midnight I got to witness a spontaneous 360-degree fireworks extravaganza that lasted for a solid 15 minutes.  None of this was coordinated by the city; it was the Guatemalan people carrying on their Christmas tradition.  The fireworks were set off from inside Antigua, as well as the smaller towns on the hillsides surrounding Antigua.  There were even a few Chinese lanterns floating into the sky.  I was truly in awe and speechless as I spun around trying to take it all in.  I think that everyone living in and around Antigua saved up about 6 months of their earnings to buy fireworks for Christmas.

The lead-up to Christmas in Antigua, Guatemala has been fun and interesting to observe.  Starting about 4 days ago, I noticed a huge influx of wealthy Guatemalans pouring into this small colonial town.  This is their destination to celebrate Christmas, and why not?  It’s perfect:  good weather, beautiful setting, and a close drive.  The town is now filled with people sporting modern, stylish fashions and hairstyles, cell phones, and digital cameras.  But it doesn’t at all take away from Antigua’s charm.  You still see the indigenous women in Mayan dress that come into the city from their homes in the villages on the outskirts to sell their wares at the market and on the streets.  All week I saw people preparing for Christmas Eve dinner.  The market was crazy.  The grocery stores were crazy.  People were carrying beautiful flowers down the streets to adorn their dinner tables.   The panaderias and pastelerias seemed to be the busiest with everyone buying giant loaves of fresh-baked bread, Christmas cakes, and cookies.  I loved watching the workers and customers bustling in the panaderias, especially the tiny hole-in-the-wall a couple blocks from my hostel.  It smells so wonderful every day I stop to buy my delicious Guatemalan coffee.

As the group of us, representing the US, Canada, Australia, Ireland, Holland, Colombia, and Guatemala, stood on the roof speechless with giant grins on our faces amazed by what we just witnessed, I thought for about the tenth time this week how lucky I am to have this experience.  Last year on Christmas I hiked and rappelled in the Andes mountains in Mendoza.  This year a totally new but equally enjoyable experience.  The entire city of Antigua is covered by a haze of smoke.  I think I’ll go to bed before Juan shouts, “Tequila!” again.

Feliz Navidad!