Wayeb'

Wayeb’ is the Mayan New Year. On February 21st around 7pm, I was walking back from the bball court with my friend Mariela when we passed the Cultural Center, OVERFLOWING with people. Mostly young people. I asked Mariela why there were so many kids hanging around, being that it’s sort of unusual for the Cultural Center to be open on a Sunday evening, and she told me that they must be taking folks out to one of the sacred hilltops where they practice Mayan ceremonies for the celebration of the Mayan New Year.

We continue walking, away from the Cultural Center, as I think to myself, “Man, that sounds pretty cool.” Mariela asks me if I’ve ever been to a Mayan ceremony, and I explain that I went to one at the Peace Corps office during training, and I went to another one in the central park in our pueblo back in August or September. She suggests we go ask the Cultural Center director what time the bus is leaving, what time it’ll be getting back, and if there was room. Jonathan tells us the bus will be leaving at 7:30, should be getting back around midnight or 1am, and of course there’s room, so hurry up.

I hurry home and change clothes. I meet Mariela and her little brother Luis in front of the Cultural Center. The bus shows up around 8:30. I think we left the pueblo around 9. The bus ride was at least 30 minutes, closer to 50 I would say. On the bus Mariela, Luis, and I talk about some of the social and educational differences between our little pueblo in Guatemala and ‘Los Estados.’ We also share the few jokes we all know. Once we get to the aldea (village) where the sacred hilltop is, we have to hike about 10 or 15 minutes to get to the actual hilltop. There’s an altar (of sorts) set up. Once everyone is there, the ceremony begins.

It was a really cool experience. The sky was cloudless, the stars were beautiful, and you could see the lights from the pueblo and a couple of the other communities down below. And it was cold. We didn’t load the bus ‘til after 1:30 (I’m not sure exactly when...all I know is that we didn’t get back into the pueblo until 3am). There was a marimba and dancing at the end of the praying, to celebrate the New Year. There were women providing coffee and tamalitos (corn dough steamed in leaves) to whoever wanted it…and charged nothing (there was also a guy selling chips and snacks and soft drinks). Oh, and the entire ceremony was celebrated in Mam.

I guess what I liked best about it was going with Mariela and Luis. Because they are friends. And I got to share that experience with them. So yeah. Happy New Year.