Happy Independence Day, Guatemala! My First Antorcha

September 15 is Guatemala's Independence Day and it is a BIG DEAL. I would say much more so than the 4th of July in the U.S. They should really call it Independence month or at least week because that's how long it is celebrated. Schools get into celebrating it big time and most of them participate in the parade which each little town seems to have. They have costumes and the kids play music like a marching band. I don't think that they have music classes throughout the year, it's just concentrated right before Independence Day.

All week / weekend there were people walking around selling flags, headbands,
whistles. I don't know why he is making that face - a ton of kids bought flags etc.

Many days are taken away from actual classes. Quince (pronounced keen-say - 15 in Spanish) fell on a Monday this year. The previous Monday when I visited schools the day was devoted to practicing music and the dances for the parade. It only got less productive from there. The Friday before I went to an antorcha (torch in Spanish) which is where the schools travel to a special place to go light a torch and the kids run with the torch back to the school. I think this is seen as the official kick-off to quince. If schools choose to travel to a farther location, the kids run the first and last 5-10 minutes.

The school that I went with traveled to the department of Chimaltenango which is about a three hour drive away. The school rented two school buses. It is a school of 500 kids, but only some parents and kids attended (I'm suspecting because it cost a little money to go). I was told by the teacher to get there at 5:45am. I arrived at 6am. The principal of the school along with some other teachers did not show up until 7:00am. I know the hora Chapin (Guatemalan time aka late) but come on I woke up at 5am and an hour is extreme for hora Chapin. But once we all got on the bus (three or more people to a seat obviously) it all went great.

Our first stop (after 30 mins on the side of the road for breakfast) was the Mayan ruins of Iximche (pronounced E-shim-che). I had been here before in training to see a Mayan ceremony. 

Then we stopped for lunch in Técpan. Most people (including myself) had brought food, so we ate on the bus. After lunch the kids and I did a little photoshoot. There were many more pictures, but here are a few.

This country has 0 rules

Chapinita ((female) little Guatemalan)

Guatemala. I am pure Guatemalan.

The three of them plus another sister and their mother all shared one row of seats on
the bus. For a while on of them slept on the floor with her head on her sister's lap.

All of the kids wore their gym clothes (educación física)

Finally at 3pm it was time for the actual antorcha. We went to the center of town where they had a little podium set up. They said some words and then lit the torch that we had brought (a gasoline-soaked rag in a metal can tied to a stick). The "nina deportes" winner of the sports part of the schools beauty pageant was in charge of running in the front with the flame. From there off we ran - that's right I ran with them! There were no police escorts or blocked off roads. We just took off down the street. We stopped at intersections, but that was the only safety precaution. Oh and that only the bigger kids went - so 4th, 5th and 6th grades. No one was hurt. Sorry in advance for the short video clips. To get them I had to run ahead, take the video, and then catch back up. P.s. to get the full effect you should turn your volume wayyyyyyy up.

 

Once we got to the turnoff to the road to their school they got out an ran the rest of the way back. This time many more kids got to carry torches.