The Folk dances of Guatemala Are numerous and relate to cultural celebrations. An example is the deer dance.
The dances of Guatemala can be divided into two groups: pre-Hispanic dances and Hispanic dances. The dances belonging to the first group usually bear names of animals (such as deer dance) and have a social function (the ritual of hunting, for example).
The dance of the disguises in Guatemala is one of the most important folk dances.
On the other hand, Hispanic dances tend to recall battles (such as the dance of conquest), to reproduce scenes of pastoral life (such as the dance of pascarines) or to treat religious themes (such as the dance of the Moors And Christians).
In this sense, the traditional dances of Guatemala reflect the cultures of the Mayas , Former settlers of this country, and the Conquerors Spanish people.
To these two cultures, they are added the influence of the Africans, who were brought to America in the condition of slaves, and the Arab culture, which was imported in the American continent with the arrival of the Spaniards (who remained under the dominion of The Muslims for almost eight centuries).
Most of these dances are held on a fixed date, however, there are also numerous festivals in which you can enjoy the traditional dances of the country.
The National Folklore Festival, which has been held without interruption during the month of August each year since 1972, constitutes a cultural space to preserve the indigenous roots of Guatemala. Also highlights the Rabin Ajau National Folk Festival, held in July.
If you like folklore and especially dance, you may want to know the Aymara dances: history, mythology and description .
The most important folk dances of Guatemala
1- Dance of the deer
This dance is of pre-Hispanic origin and refers to the ancient hunting ritual of deer, which was carried out as a method of sustenance for Aboriginal communities.
In this dance they participate a tiger and a lion that fight to hunt a deer. In the same way, a group of young men accompanied by dogs that persecute the deer in question is presented.
They complete the scene the old men in charge of that the ritual takes according to the pre-established norms and group of monkeys that adds humor to the dance. The dance is accompanied by a single musician who plays the marimba.
A month before presenting the dance, the participants should isolate themselves to purify their body and spirit, especially those who will represent lions, tigers and monkeys.
This dance, which involves 26 dancers, represents the struggle between humans and wild animals for venison. At the end, there is a feast in which meat is offered to all the guests.
2- Dance of the monkeys
Like the dance of the deer, the dance of the monkeys is of prehispanic origin. This traditional dance refers to a myth belonging to the Popol Vuh , The sacred book of the Maya, which tells the story of two twin brothers who because of their envy were transformed into monkeys by their older brothers.
This dance involves the use of a 35-foot pole that stands in front of a church. Between the post and the church, a rope is placed in which one of the monkeys is balanced (30 m high), while down another 23 people complete the dance.
The musical accompaniment is constituted by a marimba and a particular flute, called Ah Xul.
3- Dance of the conquest
The dance of the conquest is of colonial origin. It refers to the events that occurred in 1524, the year in which he died Tecun Uman , The king of K'iche, while fighting honorably for the freedom of his people.
The main characters of this dance are Tecun Uman and Pedro Alvarado (the conqueror of Guatemala). Another 20 dancers complete the dance.
At the end of the dance, Tecun Uman dies and the Maya are converted to Christianity, which represents the victory of the Spaniards over the Mesoamerican people . In this last part, both natives and Spaniards dance together, forgetting the struggles with which the dance began.
The instruments that accompany this dance are the whistle, the chimirría (a flute of Arab origin that the Spanish introduce in the colonies of America) and the drums.
4- Dance of the Pascarines
The dance of the Pascarines, usually performed in April, presents a pastoral theme that deals with two families of shepherds who fight for a woman. In this dance, 25 dancers take part.
The dance of the Pascarines is considerably aggressive since it involves the use of leather whips against one of the dancers.
5- Dance of the cowboys
The dance of the cowboys has as its theme the breeding of cattle and refers to the bullfights that were carried out once in the haciendas and in the villas of Guatemala. That is why it is a satire towards the Spanish traditions.
The characters involved in this dance are the owner of the hacienda, some young women, a group of cowboys and shepherds and, finally, the bulls. 32 people are part of the cast of the vaqueros dance.
6- Dance of the Moors and Christians
Recovered image of Encyclopedia Britannica: global.britannica.com.
This dance of colonial origin tells the story of the reconquest of Spain by the Iberians. The dance begins in the eighth century and ends in the fifteenth century when the Spanish managed to finally expel the Arabs from the Spanish territory.
This tradition was introduced by the Spanish missionaries during the sixteenth century as a method of culturally colonizing the Maya and introducing Christianity, since the dance emphasizes the power of the God of the Christians, which allowed them to prevail over the Moors .
The dance of the Moors and Christians takes place on June 30 and it involves 10 people. The music that accompanies this dance is produced by a drum and a flute.
7- Dance of the 24 devils
The dance of the 24 devils is typical of Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala. This dance takes place in December and consists of a group of devils that cross the streets of the village in search of souls marked by sin. The dance represents the struggle between the forces of good and evil.
The dance was introduced by the Franciscan monks in the sixteenth century, as a method to convey the message of evangelization. The obvious message behind this tradition is to raise awareness of the price to pay in case of transgressing God's commandments.
The dance lasts three hours. It begins with the lamentations of the chief of the devils, who at first was a celestial being but who, due to his sins, fell into disgrace.
Later, this character directs his anger towards humans and entrusts to the other devils the task of capturing men and women who commit sins.
Each of the subordinate devils represents a sinful trait, such as hypocrisy, greed, and alcoholism . Despite what the title suggests, there are only 20 devils in the dance. The other four characters are Death, Monkey, Angel and Soul.
In the development of the dance, the devils begin to call the sinful Soul and then the Angel comes to help. However, evil prevails in the end and Death sends the disobedient Soul to hell.
In the dance, scenes are intercalated in which the devils recite certain verses. In the same way, musical interludes are presented with instruments like the marimba and chirimía (a flute), which are of Mayan origin.
It is believed that the inclusion of these instruments was a method used by the Franciscans to make the natives willingly accept the dance of the 24 devils.
This folk dance was declared a cultural heritage of Guatemala by the Ministry of Culture and Sport of the country.
8- Dance of the Mexicans
Retrieved image from: flickriver.com.
This dance was incorporated in Guatemala in the 19th century. Originally, it was executed by the Chiapas, in Mexico, in honor to the Virgin of Guadalupe and its practice extended towards the coastal zones of the south of Guatemala.
Like the dance of the bulls, the dance of the Mexicans represents a satire to the life of the Spaniards in the plantations during the colonial era and towards the bullfights. In this dance, people take part like the head of the hacienda, the cowboys and the bulls.
9- Dance of the Xacalcojes
The dance of the Xacalcojes is of colonial origin; This dance develops the theme of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The dance takes place on Holy Week and Holy Saturday begins, when the dancers begin to mourn the death of Jesus.
This display of sadness contrasts with the euphoria that follows on Holy Sunday, when the participants in the dance celebrate the resurrection of the Savior.
This dance represents the fact that the death and resurrection of Jesus redeems the sins of human beings.
In the area where the dance is performed, an arch is built decorated with fruits and stuffed animals. At the end of the dance, the dancers climb the arch, cut the fruits and distribute them among the audience.
Other folk dances
Other traditional dances of Guatemala are:
• Bortagel . A variation of the dance of the Moors and Christians
• The Ball of Cortez .
• The costume ball . Also known as the masked or ugly dance.
• The Aba-i, the Aru Majani and the Chip Chip . Typical Garifuna ethnic groups.
• The jungujugo . Dance accompanied by drums that has its origin in the Haitian voodoo.
• The yancunú . This is a dance about the war in which men wear masks with faces of women. This dance commemorates the battle of Roatán that occurred in the 17th century.
• The Fierabrás . Variation of the dance of the Moors and Christians.
• The dance of the giants . It is made in honor of the most important Maya deities.
• La Malinche or Malincia .
• The mahani, the sambai and the invitation . Of Garífuna origin.
• La Paach . Dance dedicated to the"cult of the corn", ritual that was carried out at the time of harvest.
• The dance of the snake .
• Tip . Garífuna dance. It is one of the most popular dances on the Caribbean coast of the country.
• The cow dwells or the dancing of the toritos .
• Foreign invasion .
• The 12 pairs of France . Dance that lasts five hours. The main characters are Charlemagne and the King of the Moors. Production includes dramatic battles and deaths.
• The tucunes . Variation of deer dance.
• The flying stick or tum salchché . A group of men climb a 30-meter pole and try to make a jump that is a primitive form of the bungee jump; Many of the participants have died during this dance.
• The Yuruma . It is celebrated on November 26 and commemorates the arrival of the Garífuna ethnic group to Guatemala.
References
- What is the national dance of Guatemala? Retrieved on March 28, 2017, from reference.com.
- Dance in Guatemala. Retrieved on March 28, 2017, from vivatravelguides.com.
- Guatemala: Music and Dance. Retrieved on March 28, 2017, from worldyrise.blogspot.com.
- Guatemala. Retrieved on March 28, 2017, from adventure-life.com.
- Things to know about parties. Retrieved on March 28, 2017, from mayaparaiso.com.
- Traditional dances: History and meaning of some Dance. Retrieved on March 28, 2017, from revistaguatemala.com.
- The dancing devils of December. Retrieved on March 28, 2017, from tropicaldiscovery.com.