Chapter 1
The magic of La Calabiuza
Chapter 2
Day of the Dead the Salvadoran way
Chapter 3
The legendary spirits of El Salvador
Ch 1 · The magic of La Calabiuza
maryluz Every November first, Tonacatepeque hosts this revived century-old celebration eighteen kilometers northeast of San Salvador using handmade clay masks.
Quiz
In which Salvadoran town is the famous La Calabiuza festival celebrated every November 1st?
Quiz
Why did the residents of Tonacatepeque revive the La Calabiuza festival in the 1990s?
maryluz Townsfolk cook over five hundred pumpkins in panela sugar for the November festival
Quiz
What do children traditionally chant while carrying lit gourds during the La Calabiuza parade?
Quiz
What traditional dessert made of pumpkin cooked in unrefined cane sugar is handed out during La Calabiuza?
Fun Fact
La Calabiuza origins: The festival's name comes from 'calabazo,' the Spanish word for the hard-shelled gourds that locals carved into lanterns long before flashlights existed.
Quiz
What natural materials do youths in Tonacatepeque use to decorate their parade wagons for La Calabiuza?
Quiz
What is the name of the legendary screeching phantom wagon featured in Salvadoran parades?
Glossary
calabiuza (noun)
A skull, or a lantern made from a hollowed-out gourd with a candle inside. On November 1, the Salvadoran town of Tonacatepeque hosts a mythological parade named after these traditional lanterns.
A skull, or a lantern made from a hollowed-out gourd with a candle inside. On November 1, the Salvadoran town of Tonacatepeque hosts a mythological parade named after these traditional lanterns.
Quiz
What did Salvadorans traditionally place inside a carved calabiuza to light their way?