Guatemala Celebrates Mayan New Year
Guatemala, Feb 22
(Prensa Latina)
Latin American News Agency
Guatemalans are welcoming on Sunday the year 5125 of the Mayan solar calendar, with the sacred fire ceremony, dances, and baseball games in different departments of the national territory.
The Haab is composed of 18 months, called winal, with 20 days each, for a total of 360, said Leopoldo Mendez, of the indigenous Uk'ux' Be Association.
Five other days at the end of the period are devoted to meditation, during which they look back at how man related to the different elements of nature, as water, the woods, the wind, and mother earth, said Mendez.
Due to repression suffered by the indigenous traditions and view of the world since the times of the colony, that kind of ceremony were performed secretly for a long time, in mountainous, far away places or the top of volcanos.
These celebrations began to be held openly two decades ago in sacred cities, as Iximche, in Chichicastenango, Gumarcaj, El Quiche and Kaminal Juyu, in this capital.
For the first time this year, different state institutions will participate, led by the Culture Ministry, and have organized lectures and workshops to debate about the date's significance.
"The fact that there are events now, where thousands of people participate, means recovery of a historic right about the knowledge inherited from our ancestors," Mendez stated.
The solar year 5125 is included in the Long Count, which began in 3116 BCE and will end in December 2012.
The Mayans had also another calendar, called Tzolkin, with 260 days, and was exclusively used for religious purposes.
ef iom mga
PL-9
