Here is her report on some of the celebrations in Guatemala. In Guatemala every town has a patron saint, and each saint has a day of the year which is set aside for celebration in his or her name. The town I lived in was a small municipal head with perhaps 1,500 inhabitants. It is located in a valley east of the Pan American Highway that is only accessible by a 12 km dirt road, which becomes nearly impassable in the wet season. The celebration or feria lasts for one week in San Bartolo, although in bigger cities ferias are often celebrated for more than two weeks.
Vendors selling food, earrings, and trinkets arrive in force.
Large trucks with games, and even one truck with a small ferris wheel, make the 12 km trip. Because the cargo of these trucks is so important, people are always there to push and pull if they get stuck in the deep mud. Roscos, which look like donuts and taste like stale bread, are the food of choice during feria, and visitors buy bags of it to bring back to friends and family members. The entire town takes a week-long holiday, and almost everyone remains in a good mood. The highlight of the celebration is the actual day of San Bartolo, when his figure is carefully removed from the Catholic church and solemnly paraded through the town.