Oct. 30 - Nov. 5, 2017 - Firsts: Taxi, Night Out, & Movie (Geostorm); Halloween & All Saints Day; Stores re Christmas; Sewing Dresses, Time Change?
On our Monday day off...
Larry’s review of the movie...
Geostorm is surprisingly entertaining
I wasn’t expecting a good movie. I normally don’t watch disaster
movies. I just wanted to go out with Babette and see a movie, in
Guatemala. In Geostorm, Earth is beset by natural disasters. In
facing adversity, mankind developed a satellite station to prevent
these catastrophes. While people overcame this problem, another
conflict arises when it becomes opportune to use the technology as
a weapon for sole global domination.
Going to see the movie, I wasn't expecting much for it because it
seemed like a so-so movie that's probably been done before only re-
released with a "semi different plot" under a different title. But I was
surprised by how entertaining it is. There's the timeliness of its
subject and dramatic scenes that touch you. The special effects
were fantastic. I don’t remember having heard swearing. There’s no
sex and little human violence. It’s a movie an LDS family could enjoy
together.
All Saints Day (Día de Todos los Santos) on Nov. 1 is a statuary holiday in Guatemala. The Guatemala City Temple was closed at 1 pm. We North Americans who work in the temple spent our afternoon off at Applebee’s restaurant. Larry had all-you-can-eat riblets and chicken wings, at the cost of Q99, or $18. He tried to pronounce Applebee’s in Spanish, which got laughs from the group. He pronounced it “Ah-play-bay-ACE”, with the stress on the final syllable, interpreting the apostrophe as an accent mark.
All Saints Day is also known as Day of the Dead in Mexico and Guatemala. It might sound a bit weird but the main idea behind it is actually really sweet. It is a day when Guatemalans remember their dead loved ones and celebrate that they were able to meet them or to be part of their family. It is believed that the souls of all of the people that have passed away return to earth to check up on their families during this day. There are many traditions and legends attached to this celebration, plus there are a few different things that people do to commemorate their dead loved ones.
Visiting cemeteries is perhaps the most popular activity among locals. Some stick to putting flowers on the mausoleums and saying a prayer for the soul of their loved ones. But there are families that take it to the next level. They pack up all of their food, get their best clothes on and head on over to the cemetery to spend the whole day and night “visiting” those who have left.
Tradition says that a plate must also be served to the one you are visiting. As the night comes, it turns into a big party where the living celebrates with the dead.
When it is finally time to go to bed everyone must be careful. There can be no reservoirs with water hanging around the house and all candles must be off. Spirits often come in the form of moths that can die in water or fire. If they do, they might not come back next year.
Kite Festival
Another popular tradition that takes place during the Day of the Dead is the Kite Festival. It consists of a big, open space where people gather to show off their kites, lift them up and make them compete. What makes it unique is the size of the kites. They are huge! People spend all year long building them and coming up with the design which also has some sort of message hidden.
There are a few of these held in the country but the most popular one takes place in a town called Sumpango (not too far from Guatemala City.) There you can also find tons of vendors offering all sorts of local dishes. Babette and I wanted to go see the kites, but we had the morning shift at the temple. We have no car but could have gone with the Framptons. Traffic and crowds around Sumpango is horrible for the kite festival, people say. Maybe next year....
The Kite Festival is about honoring the dead and communicating with them, but locals also compete to see who has the most beautiful kite and which of them flies the longest. There are prizes for best design, but for the winners, the cheers and admiration of the crowd are rewarding enough. The Kite Festival has been celebrated in Sumpango since ancient times,. Each year families remember deceased relatives by raising to heaven multicolored kites.
According to a popular legend, each November 1 evil spirits invaded the cemetery to disturb the good souls resting in that recite. Such discomfort to the souls of the dead cause them to restlessly roam the streets and humble homes. As this phenomenon persisted on each “Day of the Dead,” the villagers decided to consult with their elders. The solution recommended by the leaders of the community, was to force the withdrawal of the intruders by inducing clash of pieces of paper in the wind.
According to the elders, the impact of the wind against the paper takes away the bad spirits. For this reason, the locals spent hours to make kites so the good spirits remain calm and stop receiving unwanted visits.
Another very interesting update! Love hearing about your mission. Yes, you are so right "no snow down there!" but we do have it here and cold temperatures. Winter came so quickly and with a blast -- not matter when or how it comes it always catches you off guard. Then, to add salt to the wound, time changed! Leave it alone already! I was doing quite fine just the way it was!! Can't understand why the powers-to-be never check with me first!!
ReplyDeleteWell, Kellen (Melinda and John's son) got his Mission call and leaves Feb. 28th for Provo MTC, then onto the Utah Provo Mission. He is quite excited about it, and so are we. Oh my, I will be back to writing four missionaries again! Gotta love it! All I can say is 'thank goodness for word and for email!"
Take care - enjoy our winter, hey!
Marlene