deutsche Textversion →
Guatemala
Heavy Snowfall in Central America
In 2013, the great attraction at the Guatemala City Christmas market was a X2600 Snow Cannon delivered from Canada. This machine is able to turn huge ice blocks into a snow fountain. It was the first ever snow experience for the most of the Guatemalan visitors.
Shooting Location: Guatemala City
Coordinates: N14° 38' 31.02" W90° 30' 51.408"
When I'm abroad and arrive in a new city, I like to buy a local newspaper. Here one can familiarize oneself with the candidates for the mayoral election, historic harvest successes and futuristic building projects. In addition there are usually tips for events that are not in the tourist guides and sometimes even small ads, where one can learn about what ordinary people are lacking, what professions are required and what is being ordered on the local used car or marriage market.
However in Guatemala I prefered to buy the "Nuestro Diario", an excellent tabloid newspaper, whose trademark is the evaluated police reports on the first four pages. Every day the crimes of the previous days are presented in detail. Besides the crime scene photos and the obligatory photos of body bags, there are pictographs with which the readers can quickly establish how many dead and injured there were for every bloody act. An unusual if not obviously well-liked service in Guatemala.
It was one day in December 2013, when I had the newspaper in my hands again. Right after the crime reports I found an article that was illustrated with snow-covered fir trees on a square in Guatemala City. In the background of the photos I recognised a stall with gingerbread and a Santa Claus. The article reported on the local Christmas market with a number of enticing promises – quite daring considering the 25 degree temperatures. The organisers had erected an ice skating rink and for the first time in the history of the Christmas market created a "snow pitch" where, under police supervision, snowballs could be thrown. For the snow production, according to the newspaper, the organisers had obtained a snow cannon from Canada. I was delighted! A homely Christmas feeling came over me.
The next day I travelled to the Plaza Constitucion in Guatemala City. After I had left the queue behind me I was amazed to discover that aside from the many palm trees, the market was the spitting image of a German Christmas market. I appropriated a kind of gingerbread while I watched the Guatemalans, row after row, being photographed with a Santa Claus in front of a snow-covered fir tree.
I inspected the ice stadium, constituting approximately a 30m x 30m surface of ice, flanked by a grandstand. About 150 visitors could rent out skates and helmets and then make their circles for half an hour. Most of the Guatemalans clung to the advertising boards, while a few of the braver ones dared out into the middle, pushing themselves forward without any support. As soon as anyone staggered across the ice like Charlie Chaplin or even fell, the audience on the stands were beside themselves. The entertainment, accompanied here with guaranteed slapstick, was obviously the main attraction for them. Those who fell a few times were warned by the "Policia Muncipal", represented by three officers in skates on the ice. Repeat offenders were directed back to the advertising boards or from the ice. After every round, employees shoved about 1 cm layer of water to the side or made a few laps with the ice resurfacer.
On the other side of the square I found the so-called “snow pitch”, which was stormed by big and small, young and old. Whereby the Guatemalans first cautiously laid their hands of the snow surface and stroked it, fascinated. Moments later they instinctively pounded a handful of snow together and formed balls, which they examined before bolting away and attacking each other. A snowball fight – everyone against everyone – as found all over the world.
Sophisticated participants had gloves and developed the attacks quickly. They attacked the opposition in small groups, mainly from all sides and with a number of prepared snowballs. The fun usually lasted for 10 to 15 minutes before the pitch was cleared and freshly prepared. During this period the employee with the snow cannon, filling the area with snow again, were treated like a pop star. The Guatemalans threw their arms in the air and demanded the cannon be aimed at them, so the snow would fall on them. Some even had tears of joy in their eyes. A crazy sight for someone like me, who often struggles through the winter months in Europe. I cannot say who was more fascinated here: the Guatemalans in the snow or me in the joy of the Guatemalans. In any case, I have rarely seen that many parents, grandparents and great grandparents behave so much like children.
In the evening I perused the “Nuestro Diario” again. I was overcome with a strange feeling: life and death in some places of the world are much closer and intenser. One page of the newspaper reported on the execution of a bus driver, while the back page carried an invitation to the heart-moving falling snow at the Christmas market.
