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The largest country in Central America has plenty of fascinating cultural traditions that you can get involved with. Here are some of the most interesting ones to look out for on your trip to Guatemala.

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Bare knuckle boxing on Good Friday

The highland town of Chivarreto is the venue for bare-knuckle fights each year on Good Friday. Explanations for the tradition vary, but it makes for a great day out. Head to the northern city of Quetzaltenango and look for onward transport.

Drunken horse racing

In the town of Todos Santos, All Saints' Day celebrations take a unique form. Locals get trashed on alcohol before attempting to race horses through town watched by friends, family and a growing number of intrigued tourists.

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Holy Week parades in Antigua Guatemala

Easter is a big deal in the colonial city of Antigua, where religious processions wind their way through town during Holy Week. The parades draw thousands of visitors from around the world, so you'll need to book accommodation well in advance if you want to be there.

Leaving cigarettes and alcohol for a syncretic saint

The mixture of Mayan and Roman Catholic traditions has left Guatemala a fascinating cultural legacy. One of the strangest components is Maximon, also known as San Simon, a saint that grants favors in return for cigarettes, alcohol and other gifts left by followers at his altar.

Dancing on your family grave on All Saints' Day

Mayan mural of San Juan la Laguna, Guatemala | © Patricia Macías

While in some parts of the world graves are not to be trodden on or even touched, things are different in Guatemala. Here it is tradition in certain parts of the country to have a party in the cemetery on November 1, drinking and dancing in honor of deceased relatives.

Patterned clothing which reveals where you are from

Gathering of the Maya weavers - Guatemala | Photo by Robin Canfield on Unsplash

Visitors to Guatemala cannot fail to notice the brightly-patterned traditional dress of the Mayan indigenous community. What is not immediately obvious is that these clothes can tell you where someone is from if you know how to read them; each town and village uses different designs to the next.

Giant kites to honor the dead

Another All Saints' Day tradition are the huge kites that are constructed in Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepequez. Head to these two villages near Antigua to see massive kites decorated in bright colors, often with political messages. Both sites are within 30 minutes of Antigua Guatemala.

Marimba music dominates in traditional communities

A large wooden xylophone-style instrument known as a marimba is the most emblematic in traditional Guatemalan music. You will hear it at parties and festivals among older generations, but younger people are increasingly listening to reggaetón and other musical styles.

Eating fiambre is a treat not to be missed

Fresh fruits and vegetables in a market in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala | Photo by Arturo Rivera on Unsplash

Every year Guatemalan families prepare and eat the traditional fiambre salad to eat on the Day of the Dead and All Saints' Day. The huge salad can be made with as many as 50 ingredients, but the most important are sausages, cold cuts, pickled baby corn and beets.

Flying dancers for a patron saint

The town of Chichicastenango puts on quite a show for its patron saint, Santo Tomas, from December 13-21 every year. There are parades, fireworks and the infamous palo volador, in which two dancers jump from a pole that can be as much as 100 feet high before spinning slowly to the ground hanging from a rope.

Traditional Mayan calendars still in use

For many indigenous Mayans, the Gregorian calendar is used only to govern their interactions with other communities. The use of the traditional Mayan calendar is still practiced in many communities, where it is used to help people understand the world and its cycles.

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Guatemalan Traditions And Customs Only Locals...

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The largest country in Central America has plenty of fascinating cultural traditions that you can get involved with. Here are some of the most interesting...

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Guatemala food and drink is primarily influenced by the country's Mayan and Spanish cultures. However, it also received influences from African and Caribbean cultures. Nowadays, their food is a mixture of tons of different international influences such as Chinese, American, and the vegetarian movement.

Ready for a taste of Guatemalan food?

Guatemala breakfasts are simple, typically including an assortment of eggs, tortillas, beans, and plantains. Some are also served with cheese or cream. Many breakfasts in Guatemala take advantage of the country's abundant tropical fruits like bananas, papaya, mangoes, and avocado. In some places, you might even get some oats. And of course, no Guatemalan breakfast is complete without a mug of world-class Guatemalan coffee.

Corn, beans, rice, pork, beef, chicken, cheese, and tortillas form the backbone of most Guatemalan cuisine. Meat stews ( caldos) and soups ( sopas) are easily the most popular dishes among locals. If you order roast chicken, don't be startled if your Guatemala meal comes with the feet still attached (rare, but not unknown).

By checking out the menus, you will discover that many meals in Guatemala have similarities to those of Mexico, Guatemala's neighbor to the northwest. Guatemala food such as nachos, tamales, and enchiladas are just as delicious as you'll find in your favorite Mexican restaurant-and much cheaper. Chinese food restaurants, pizza places, and fried chicken stands are also quite common in Guatemalan cities and towns.

Three of the main Guatemalan dishes:

Chiles Rellenos: Chile peppers stuffed with rice, cheese, meat, and vegetables. They are battered, fried and often topped with a spicy tomato sauce.

Chicken Pepian: Chicken in spicy sauce with pumpkin seeds and sesame. This is the national dish of Guatemala.

Kak'ik: A traditional Mayan turkey soup with spices like coriander, achiote, and chile peppers. A must-try.

Snacks and Sides

Guacamole: Served with chips, fried plantains or as a topping to other Guatemalan food.

Spiced mango: Sliced green mango, seasoned with chili and lime, sold from street carts.

Tortillas: Thin, flat corn cakes, a staple in Guatemala food. As cheap as five cents on the street.

Nachos: They include all sorts of tasty toppings like cheese, refried beans, meat, cream, avocado, and peppers, and almost always include fresh hot chips. Delicious!

Elotes: Roast ears of corn with cheese, lime, chili, and butter or mayonnaise.

Guatemala Desserts

Tres Leches Cake (Pastel de Tres Leches): This is a cold kind of dessert, a cake soaked in three types of milk, including evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and cream.

Flan: A wobbly, golden-colored caramel custard with some liquid caramel on top.

Where to Eat and What You'll Pay

Guatemala is one of the most inexpensive Central America countries, and accordingly, Guatemalan food is cheap. You'll only find United States prices in the most touristy destinations like Flores and Antigua Guatemala; and even there, less pricey options are broad. Small eateries offer the best and cheapest alternatives.

International restaurants, cafes, and coffee shops are typical in well-trod areas. However, local eateries and street vendors are the best places to try authentic Guatemalan food (and less authentic, like fried chicken and french fries). Just remember the traveler's mantra: wash it, peel it, cook it, or forget it.

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Traditional Foods to Try When in Guatemala

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Guatemala food and drink is primarily influenced by the country's Mayan and Spanish cultures. However, it also received influences from African and Caribbean cultures. Nowadays, their food is a mixture of tons of different international influences such as Chinese, American, and the vegetarian movement. Ready for a taste of Guatemalan food?

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Guatemala is a country in Central America at the southern side of Mexico and is officially known as the Republic of Guatemala. Its capital, Guatemala City which is also the largest city, is home to the national palace of culture and the national museum of archaeology and ethnology. It is the most populous state in South America with a population of approximately 15.8 million with an area coverage of 42,042 square miles. Christianity remains a strong and vital in Guatemalan society as it is the main religion in the country.

Roman Catholic Christianity

The Catholic Church in Guatemala is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church in Rome under the leadership of the Pope. It was introduced into the country by the Spanish colonialists in the 16 th century and remained the predominant religion in the country until the 20 th century. Due to the increasing number of Protestants in the country, a religious movement by the charismatic Catholics was launched. The movement sought to increase the number of Catholic converts. Therefore, several priests worked towards ensuring this. Currently, the Roman Catholics in the country form approximately 50% of the country's population, hence remains the dominant religion.

Protestant Christianity

Protestant Christianity in Guatemala is the second largest religion in the country constituting up to 37% of the entire population. The first Protestant missionary to arrive in Guatemala was Frederick Crowe in 1843 but was expelled by President Rafael Carrera, a Roman Catholicism fanatic, in 1845. In 1882, President Rufino Barrios invited several Presbyterian Methodist, and Baptist missionaries into the country to challenge the power of Roman Catholic Church. The number of Protestant Christians remained low until the arrival of the Pentecostal Protestants from the United States. Protestants in the country are mainly located in the northern highlands and are mainly the Mayan population.

Atheism, Agnosticism, or Irreligion

Atheism, Agnosticism, or Irreligion is the belief in the non-existence of a supreme creator or time referred to as non-religious in Guatemala. The most recent survey conducted in 2010 in the country revealed that up to 11% of the country's population have no particular religion. It is among the countries with the highest number of atheists in Latin America.

Other beliefs

Approximately 2% of the entire Guatemalan population are of other religions evident in the country. Among the minority religions include Mormon, Jehovah's Witness, Traditional Maya Religion, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism.

There no official state religion in Guatemala but despite this, the country's constitution recognizes the legitimacy of the Roman Catholic Church. For other religious affiliations to be recognized by the constitution, they have have be approved by the government regulators. The Guatemalan constitution in Article 36 also recognizes freedom of religion to all citizens which is honored and protected by law. At the end of the civil war, missionary activities heightened in Guatemala and Protestants denominations have greatly grown. The denominations have lived in a mutual coexistence with little friction among them.

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Guatemala is a country in Central America at the southern side of Mexico and is officially known as the Republic of Guatemala. Its capital, Guatemala City which is also the largest city, is home to the national palace of culture and the national museum of archaeology and ethnology.

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One of the main differences between Americans and Guatelamans, is their idea of time. They don't allow time control them. They like to let things go with the flow and have things workout themselves. Another difference is how much they value friend and especially family. They believe it is very important to have healthy relationships with everyone because you never know when you'd need their assistance or support in time needed, and its important to cherish your loved ones before its too late.

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Football(soccer) is the most popular sport in Guatemala. Outdoor sports are main recreational activities, a few of them are- white water rafting near the Acatenango Volcano, kayaking on inland Lake Atitlan and along the Pacific coast and many more activities. In lager communities throughout the country, people are more drawn to recreational parks on weekends.

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Guatemala is well known for their interesting taste in music and art. You're very likely to hear a lot of ranchera and tejano music in many restaurants you go to. Music with Mexican interest is a big thing in Guatemala, there are also many mariachi groups that are out in the streets, la plazas, parties, restaurants and many other places. The most popular instrument is the marimba, which is a large wooden xylophone that’s struck with mallets.

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Spanish is the main language of Guatemala but its not spoken by the entire population.There are lots of other languages that are spoken in Guatemala depending on the family,which most of them come from Mayan.

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39.8% of the population are approximately Indigenous and consists of 23 Maya groups and one non Maya group. There are about 41% of Mestizos, 38.9% Amerindians, 18.5% Whites, 1% Blacks, and 0.6% Asian ethnic groups in Guatemala. There are many different ethnic groups that are all over Guatemala.

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There are about 11 traditions all the locals know about. There is:

Bare knuckle boxing on Good Friday.

Drunken horse racing.

Holy Week parades in Antigua Guatemala.

Leaving cigarettes and alcohol for a syncretic saint.

Dancing on your family grave on All Saints' Day.

Patterned clothing which reveals where you are from.

Giant kites to honor the dead.

And that is only a few things Guatemalans love to do. My favorite thing I've learned on this is the giant kites to honor the dead, it is like their Dia de los muertos and I love to celebrate this in my hometown with all my family.

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The women in Nebaj, a town located in the Altos Cuchumatanes Mountains, honor their ancestors by wearing a red corte (skirt) with yellow stripes held up by a woven faja (belt or sash),  huipil (a traditional square-cut blouse) made with embroidered designs, and a shawl drapes over one shoulder, which can be used to carry a baby around. Men from the same area might wear a chaqueta open jacket, a locally made straw hat and Western-style sweater and trousers. And children also value this and dress in a traje to school.

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Roman Catholicism was the official religion in Guatemala.Protestant Christianity is the second largest religion in the country. Atheism, Agnosticism, or Irreligion are beliefs in the non-existence of a supreme creator or time referred to as non-religious in Guatemala; recent surveys conducted in 2010 revealed that up to 11% of the country's population have no particular religion and 2% are other religions.

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Guatemalan breakfast includes an assortment of eggs, tortillas, beans, and plantains. Caldos and sopas are easily the most popular dishes among locals. Nachos, tamales, and enchiladas are just as delicious and amazing as you'll find in your favorite Mexican restaurant and much cheaper. The three main Guatemalan dishes are;

Chiles rellenos: Chile peppers stuffed with rice, cheese, meat, and vegetables. They are served with tortilla and tomato sauce.

Chicken Pepian: Chicken in spicy pumpkin and sesame sauce. This is the national dish of Guatemala.

Kak’ik: A traditional Mayan turkey soup, with spices like coriander, achiote, and chile peppers. A must-try.