When is All Saints’ Day?
In 2026, All Saints’ Day falls on Sunday, November 1, 2026. It is classified here as a paid public holiday.
History of All Saints’ Day
All Saints’ Day combines the Catholic feast of the saints with older Maya relationships between the living, ancestors and sacred places. Colonial institutions placed November 1 within the Christian calendar, but Guatemalan communities made the day their own through cemetery visits, food, flowers and local ritual. The result differs across regions and language communities.
Santiago Sacatepéquez and Sumpango became internationally known for enormous barriletes, or kites, built from paper and bamboo. Community groups spend months creating intricate designs that may honor ancestors, address social issues or celebrate Maya identity. The kites are understood as a symbolic link between earth and the departed, even as the festivals have grown into major cultural events.
November 1 is a paid holiday under Article 127 and remains on its fixed date. Cemeteries, roads and kite-festival towns become crowded. The next day, November 2, is widely observed as the Day of the Dead but is not a separate statutory paid holiday for all private workers.
How All Saints’ Day is observed
November 1 is a paid public holiday. Families visit cemeteries, and giant-kite festivals draw large crowds to Santiago Sacatepéquez and Sumpango.
Traditions of All Saints’ Day
Giant kite festivals
Teams design and construct monumental circular kites from tissue paper and bamboo. Some are displayed as towering works of art, while smaller kites fly above the cemetery, carrying remembrance and community messages into the sky.
Fiambre
Families prepare fiambre, an elaborate cold dish combining vegetables, cheeses, meats, eggs and pickled ingredients. Recipes may contain dozens of components and are carefully inherited, making the meal an edible record of family history.
Cemetery visits
Relatives clean and decorate graves with flowers, pine needles, wreaths and personal offerings. Cemeteries become social spaces where families remember the dead, share food and reconnect with neighbors.
Flowers and family memory
Markets fill with chrysanthemums and other flowers in the days before November 1. Choosing, arranging and carrying them to the cemetery is both a household task and an act of respect.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Guatemala official holiday calendar or legislation. Government, regional, school and employer schedules in Guatemala may differ; check the linked official source and current local notices before making time-sensitive plans.
History sources: UNESCO: Giant-kite making in Santiago Sacatepéquez and Sumpango, Guatemala Labour Code.
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