New Year's Eve Celebrations

Antigua is a New Year’s Eve destination for Central American travelers, crowds from Guatemala City, and people from all over Guatemala and Central America. By the time dusk settles in on the 31st of December, the streets and central park are so packed with people, it is hard to even move. Bands and fireworks displays pop up all night on every block.

The next few photos are of a group of indigenous Mayans burning incense and beating drums while performing some of their traditional dances in the middle of the street:

Another Central American tradition (I have seen it in El Salvador, but never close this big) is building “animals” (in this case, bulls and butterflies) out of fireworks, then running through crowds as the sparks and flames fly in all directions. Although people are usually able to get out of the way and form an area for the person donning the costume to run around, in the crowded streets of Antigua I saw more than one or two people leave who looked to have gotten a bit too close!