Next: 1 to 2 Nov 2026
Todos Santos
All Saints in Bolivia, Guatemala and the Andes, with bread dolls for the dead, tables of food at the grave and kites flown to speak to them.
About Todos Santos
In the Andes, Todos Santos is the time when the dead are believed to return. Aymara and Quechua families in Bolivia set tables with bread figures called tantawawas, fruit and drink, and keep a vigil, and an invited guest may be paid in food for prayers. In Guatemala the town of Santiago Sacatepéquez and neighbouring Sumpango fly giant kites on 1 November, said to be messages to the dead and a way of opening the line between worlds. In Todos Santos Cuchumatán a horse race is held. In each place older Indigenous beliefs about ancestors blend with the Catholic feast, and families approach the day with great seriousness, even where visitors are welcome.
Also part of it, and being written: All Saints' Day (The Christian feast.), Sumpango, Sacatepéquez (The town of the giant kites.), Day of the Dead (The related Mexican festival.).
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "All Saints' Day" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family, and are described as belief and practice. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.