Paper Kites Carry Family Folktales
During Dia De Los Muertos
(Hispanic Day of the Dead) family members, friends and pets who have passed on traditions
are remembered. Celebrations are based upon the cultural traditions of each geographic
region, such as Mexico, San Salvador, Guatemala and other Latin countries. The
most common festive ingredients include altars, skeleton cookies, and community
processions and gatherings. One country in particular has found a way to
integrate their terrain into the activities.
In Columbia, people fly kites that are lifted up by robust sea
winds that are not punctuated by trees. These ornately decorated kites virtually
reach the heavens above where ancestors reside. This makes them the ideal
vehicle to carry family messages.
Paper colorfully painted with designs the ancestors would
recognize, the kites also have thickly woven tails that handwritten messages on
strips of paper or cloth are tucked into.
The kites are released during the afternoon when the winds are
their strongest. In that way, it is believed, well wishes and reminders of love
could better reach the other world.
Here in America, that tradition can easily be enjoyed by
others. The next time you want to remember a loved one, create a kite upon which
you can either write a brief story (folktale) about that person on the kite’s
face or you can weave the written message into the weave of your kite’s tail.
