Guatemala Frost Sealing Day

The largest country in Central America is a fascinating place with a long and turbulent history. Experts believe the word Guatemala derives from the indigenous Nahuatl word “Quahtlemallan,” meaning “land of many trees.” A frost at the wrong time of the year could kill the entire garden. For the Cuchumatan Indians of Guatemala, the very real possibility of losing a crop to frost inspired a ceremony that was meant to protect the crops—and therefore their lives.

The Sealing the Frost Ceremony begins as the prayer makers lead the villagers up to a cliff where the frost is said to live. One of the prayer makers dares to do a risky job: he is lowered over the cliff edge by a rope tied around his waist. When he sees a crack in the rock, he fills the crack with cement. This is supposed to seal frost in so that it cannot come and kill the young corn plants. Then the daring prayer maker is hauled up again, and he leads the procession back down to the village.