All Saints day or Dia de los Santos is celebrated throughout the world and sometimes referred to in North America as the Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos. All Saints Day is a Catholic celebration on November 1st that celebrates all saints that have gone to heaven, and is followed by Souls day on November 2nd that celebrates all who has died (Catholic 2015). However, everyone throughout the world celebrates Saints Day and Souls Day differently with their own unique traditions. For instance, in All Saints, Cuchumatán in Guatemala, they have their own way of celebrating Saints Day with a drunk horse race.
All Saints Cuchumatán is a small village in the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, in Guatemala. The prominent language of the area is the Mam, an indigenous language from the Mayan, although the majority of the residents also speak Spanish as a second language. Through the centuries, they have kept their traditions alive. One of those traditions is the horse race on November 1st called the Carrera de las Cintas (The Race of the Cintas). The origin of the November 1st horse race is unclear. It has several theories on how the tradition came to be. Some believe …show more content…
According to tradition, the riders have to participate in the race for four consecutive years. Neither more nor less, or otherwise it brings bad luck (Mata 2013). As for the women they are allowed to participate in the race, but instead they stand by the side and watch the men. Similar to most societies, women are expected to prepare the food for the festival and hand-weave the clothes the men wear on All Saints Day. The distinction of Todossanteros (the villagers of Todos Santos) are the Red pants. All men wear them, is very nice, and once a year, on November 1. Men in the villages are dedicated more than the women to conserve their traditional attire (Mata
All Saints Cuchumatán is a small village in the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, in Guatemala. The prominent language of the area is the Mam, an indigenous language from the Mayan, although the majority of the residents also speak Spanish as a second language. Through the centuries, they have kept their traditions alive. One of those traditions is the horse race on November 1st called the Carrera de las Cintas (The Race of the Cintas). The origin of the November 1st horse race is unclear. It has several theories on how the tradition came to be. Some believe …show more content…
According to tradition, the riders have to participate in the race for four consecutive years. Neither more nor less, or otherwise it brings bad luck (Mata 2013). As for the women they are allowed to participate in the race, but instead they stand by the side and watch the men. Similar to most societies, women are expected to prepare the food for the festival and hand-weave the clothes the men wear on All Saints Day. The distinction of Todossanteros (the villagers of Todos Santos) are the Red pants. All men wear them, is very nice, and once a year, on November 1. Men in the villages are dedicated more than the women to conserve their traditional attire (Mata