What holidays are celebrated in Guatemala?

The biggest holiday in Guatemala is Semana Santa, which is a week long celebration that takes place around Easter (in March). They lay down large carpets made of flowers and leaves in intricate designs. They also celebrate Christmas and New Years, although not as passionately as some North Americans do! They light off a million fireworks at midnight and eat a traditional meal of tamales. Another popular holiday there is Independence Day which is celebrated on September 15 with school children walking in parades all day long. They practice for this event weeks in advance. Also, they're school year is from January until October. So their "summer holidays" from school are actually from mid-October until the end of December.