In Guatemala, there is a population called Chichicastenango a more than two thousand meters above sea level; There they celebrate for a week, a colorful festivity with a mixture of Catholicism and Mayan traditions, where they carry out processions, wear colorful costumes, do traditional dances, music and fireworks; Among these celebrations, the flying stick stands out, whose history is in the sacred book of the Kichés, the Popol Vuh.
The ritual of the “Holy fire” to ask nature for help to choose the tree for the ceremony, after cutting it, the tree is moved by hundreds of men to the site of the celebration; fulfilling the legend of the Popol Vuh that says that the stick is carried by about 400 men; The dancers who unwind by means of ropes from the tip of the trunk, until they reach the ground, usually dress as monkeys and with graceful movements dance to the beat of a marimba while everything is getting ready for the event.
master craftsmen they make works as their ancestors did: hand-carved masks, covers, typical fabrics, embroidered huipiles, woven bags, jade necklaces, pottery, ceramics, jewelry and much more, it is a spectacle of colors and picturesque scenes in life village royal.
Among the many attractions is the Church of Santo Tomas which was built 460 years ago and consists of 18 steps that symbolize the Mayan sacred calendar which is 18 months and 20 days old; religious rituals are celebrated both to ask for health or work, as well as to get married and recommend someone in particular, doctors or shamans from all over Guatemala, as well as from Mexico, attend there, who are respected because it is evident that religious traditions and beliefs have been preserved, attributing to them the power to do good and bad things, considered supernatural.
The shamans can read the destiny, in the Santo Tomás Church there is a place where this ritual was practiced and they determined if they had been born for family life or for religious doctors, this practice is done on the altar of the hill at any age.
It is considered a tourist destination par excellence, the language is Maya Quiche although most people speak Spanish and English and small phrases in other languages; there is a tour to visit the coniferous forest that you can take by bicycle, attend a bird observatory, entertain yourself on the lumberjack routes where you can see chichicaste, pine, oak, cypress, cedar and some fir trees, and if you are lucky observe the fauna of the area.
The town of Chichicastenango is full of stories and legendslike that of Pascual Abaj Hillwhere the deity of the same name is found, and is said to have been a healer who turned into a rock; in the cemetery, you can discover why the variety of colors in the niches; there are local guides, who can show you murals and the stories that frame this beautiful place.