Celebrating Guatemalan Independence Day: Guatemalan Food and Traditions

It’s nearly time to celebrate Guatemalan Independence Day. It’s a day of food, vivid colors, celebrations and, of course, national pride. Here’s everything you need to know about how Hondurans celebrate their Independence Day and how you can join in around the world or if you’re in the United States, celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month.

When is Guatemalan Independence Day?

Guatemalan Independence Day takes place on the 15th of September every year. This day commemorates the date Guatemala, and several other Central American countries broke from Spanish colonial rule on 15th September 1821. Guatemala shares this national holiday with Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.

The date also marks the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month which runs from 15th September to 15th October.

How Does Guatemala Celebrate Independence Day?

While these countries share the holiday, and some ways of celebrating, each has unique ways of marking the occasion too. This is how Guatemala celebrates its Independence Day.

Parades

One of the most visual and audible elements of Guatemalan Independence Day celebrations is the parades held throughout the country and abroad. This is also the most common thread through most Central American celebrations shared amongst the countries.

The Guatemalan parades are bright, colorful affairs. The streets in every city and town will be full of marching bands from schools and other organizations.

The parades are so central to the celebrations that they also take place in some cities with large Guatemalan diaspora populations, such as Los Angeles. While many cities won’t have a Guatemalan parade, if your home city does, it’s a great opportunity to immerse yourself in Guatemalan culture and energy.

Signs of National Pride

Throughout Guatemala, throughout the entire day, you will see and hear symbols of Guatemalan national pride.

It’s common for the national anthem to be sung at some stage throughout the day, and you can find that on YouTube

The blue and white national flag of Guatemala is flown outside homes and will be found lining main streets nationwide. Buying a Guatemalan flag is usually quite easy to do wherever you are in the world, even if it’s Amazon you buy one from.

Spending Time With Family, Sharing Meals at Home and Abroad

One of the major themes of all national holidays in Guatemala is family. It’s a time to spend with family, sharing time, stories, and food. Today, thanks to technology, no matter where you find yourself in the world, you can keep in touch with family back home or help them keep in touch with you.

For example, you can send a Claro or Tigo recharges to Guatemala from anywhere in the world, giving them airtime and data to keep in touch with you or keep up to date with events locally online.

Enjoying flavorful Guatemalan food is far from limited to just Independence Day celebrations. It’s just natural that food is at the center of these celebrations with influence that can be traced back to Mayan times through to colonial times. Most of the food you’ll find on tables across Guatemala and beyond is found all year round.

You might miss being home to help your parents or wider family prepare the big meals, but you can still help out with an eGift. You can send a wide range of eGifts to help those back home buy the Independence Day groceries, and make sure you still play a part of the family festivities.

The best thing about food being at the core of a celebration is that you can usually, at least partially, enjoy it wherever you are in the world yourself. You just might have to get creative, make it yourself and adjust some ingredients to what you can get locally.

Pepián De Pollo – Guatemala’s National Dish

Let’s start with Guatemala’s national dish, Pepián De Pollo or chicken pepián. This is considered Guatemala’s national dish and is one of the country’s oldest traditional chicken recipes. This hearty stew can be made with chicken, beef, pork, or a mix of these meats, simmered in a rich tomato-based sauce infused with roasted seeds and peppers. It’s typically for this to be served with vegetables like potatoes and carrots, and a side of white rice turns this dish into a complete meal.

The best thing about this dish is that most of the ingredients are available globally from supermarkets, though for an authentic dish you might buy one or two items, such as the guajillo pepper, from a specialty store.

Many Guatemalans would also argue that the nation’s chicken is superior to other countries, which is why you’ll often see Pollo Campero in the airports!

Tamales Colorados

Tamales colorados are one of Guatemala's most cherished traditional dishes. This recipe combines the classic corn masa with a flavorful chicken or pork filling, all wrapped in fresh banana leaves. These tamales are larger in size and have a softer, more tender consistency compared to the traditional Mexican tamale.

They can be a little time-consuming to make but are worth the effort for a taste of Guatemala.

Guatemalan Enchiladas

Enchiladas, also known as jardineras, are a traditional Guatemalan dish made with ground beef and topped with a variety of vegetables. Again, this is a meal that you should be able to find most ingredients in your local supermarket wherever you are.

This simple Guatemalan recipe stands out for its unique combination of flavors and textures. You might be more familiar with Mexican enchiladas, which are soft rolled tortillas filled with ingredients and covered in sauce and cheese, Guatemalan enchiladas feature a crispy toasted tortilla. They are topped with a vegetable mix or escabeche (beet salad), ground beef, and a layer of tomato sauce.

If you’re making this in another country, you’ll likely have to settle for a non-Guatemalan tortilla, which is the biggest sacrifice.

However or wherever you celebrate Guatemalan Independence Day, we hope you enjoy the celebrations.