Guatemala: Giant Kite Co‑Build & Sky Message Team Day

Giant Kite Co‑Build & Sky Message Team Day, Guatemala

Context: Messages in the Sky

Every year on November 1st, communities in Guatemala transform art and remembrance into an epic act of team bonding. In the highland towns of Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepéquez, thousands gather for the Festival de Barriletes Gigantes (Giant Kite Festival) – a breathtaking display of multi-colored kites towering up to 20 meters wide *. These aren’t store-bought novelties; they are colossal circular mosaics of tissue paper and bamboo, painstakingly handcrafted by local teams over four months *. The tradition began as a way to honor departed loved ones – kites are said to carry messages to the spirits on All Saints’ Day * – but it has evolved into a showcase of creativity, cultural pride, and collaboration. In 2024, UNESCO recognized the technique of giant kite-making as Intangible Cultural Heritage, a tribute to the “creativity, resilience and worldview” of Guatemala’s indigenous communities * *. For those communities, the process of building a barrilete is as important as the day of flying: it’s a ritual that binds people together, fusing art with teamwork under the open sky.

Meet Grupo Jade – The Kite Collective

One emblematic team keeping this ritual alive is Grupo Jade, an all-female kite-building collective from Sumpango founded in 1999 *. At that time, most kite teams (cuadrillas) were led by men, so Sara Xicón and her brother René decided to break the mold by training young women in the craft * *. Eight recruits answered the call, meeting after work and school to assemble a modest kite dedicated to Nobel laureate Rigoberta Menchú *. By the next year, a dozen women had joined. The group originally called Las Orquídeas grew in skill and ambition – and even after some early turnover (marriages, relocations) temporarily paused their efforts in the mid-2000s * *, the core members reconvened under a new name: Jade. Today, Jade’s roster ranges from Maya Kaqchikel teenage girls to mothers in their 30s *, all united by a mission to “valorize” women through tradition * *. Two of the current members are deaf, yet fully integrated into design and assembly – a reflection of the group’s ethos of inclusion *. Each year, Grupo Jade chooses a theme like gender equality, indigenous identity, or environmental protection, and then spends weeks brainstorming how to portray it in kite form *. The message might be rendered in elaborate geometric patterns or symbolic figures made of colored paper. “Nosotras podemos” – we women can do it – insists Xicón, noting how Jade’s success has inspired five other women-led teams to form by 2023 *. What started as a small sisterhood with scissors and glue has become a movement, proving that a traditionally male arena can open up when a team ritual is both culturally authentic and purpose-driven.

Giant Kite-Build Ritual: Step-by-Step

Phase	Activity	Purpose
August (3 months prior)	Team kickoff: choose a theme and sketch a kite design on paper.	Align on a shared vision and creative direction.
Sept–Oct (weekly)	Crafting sessions: cut tissue paper, hand-paint details, and glue patterns in sections.	Collaborative creation; everyone contributes skills while building trust.
Oct 31 (All Saints’ Eve)	Lunada (overnight assembly): gather at the football field to join sections on a huge bamboo frame under floodlights *.	High-pressure teamwork; symbolizes unity as the whole piece finally comes together.
Nov 1 (dawn)	Procession to site: carry the finished kite (often 5–10 meters across or more) to the cemetery hill and mount it upright for display * *.	Shared pride in presenting the creation; physically requires coordination and trust.
Nov 1 (daytime)	Exhibition & flying: stand by the kite explaining its message to visitors and judges; attempt to fly smaller kites in competition categories.	Public recognition of the team’s effort; adrenaline and joy from showcasing artistry together.
Nov 1 (evening)	Closure: cheer the winners, take group photos, then carefully take down the kite (many are saved for archives; badly torn ones are ritualistically burned or buried).	Celebration and reflection; even if the kite retires, the team’s bond and legacy endure.

(Even if a giant kite never leaves the ground, the process cements bonds. “Hacerlos es una fiesta,” says a festival veteran – making them is a party that unites grandparents, parents and children in joyful collaboration *.)

Why It Works: Art, Heart, and Glue

Building a giant kite is essentially a massive creative project, and that creative effort is social glue in more ways than one. Psychologists note that shared rituals and crafts can spike oxytocin (the trust hormone) and create a “powerful sense of connection and unity” among participants *. In the barrilete teams, hierarchy melts away as everyone sits on the floor cutting paper or tying knots – a manager and a junior employee have equal status when their fingers are sticky with glue. This flattening of roles fosters psychological safety; team members feel comfortable voicing ideas (“Let’s try a jade background color”) or constructively critiquing each other’s work because they’re all in it together. The ritual also provides a higher purpose that transcends day-to-day work: sending a message to one’s ancestors or community. That imbues the teamwork with spiritual and emotional significance, which in turn boosts motivation. Many kite-makers describe entering a state of flow during the long nights of prep – they lose track of time amid the music of laughter, scissors, and brushes. Such group “flow” experiences have been linked to greater synchronicity and trust in teams. Finally, there’s the deadline-driven thrill: everyone knows the kite must be ready by dawn on November 1, so they willingly cooperate through fatigue and last-minute setbacks. When the sun rises and the huge kite stands tall, the team shares an oxytocin-fueled high akin to a championship victory. In short, the barrilete ritual works because it engages the whole person – hands, heart, and soul – forging bonds through shared effort and shared meaning.

Outcomes & Impact

The tangible outcomes of Guatemala’s giant-kite team ritual are literally larger than life: vivid masterpieces up to 20 meters high, seen by tens of thousands of people. On a community level, the annual festival now draws over 100,000 visitors (locals and tourists alike) to Sumpango’s fields * *, boosting town pride and the local economy. But the deeper impact is on the teams themselves. Many members commit to the barrilete groups for years or decades – Grupo Jade and its predecessor have a 24-year legacy – indicating extraordinary retention and loyalty in a volunteer setting. In corporate terms, these crews have near-zero turnover: the intrinsic reward of creation and camaraderie keeps people coming back. The ritual has also driven social change. When Jade’s founders started the first women-only kite team, they were unsure how the community would react; now, as of 2023, there are six female-led teams carrying on the tradition *. Their success has elevated women’s status in local society, proving through action that women “can occupy more than a secondary role” in public life * *. This model of inclusion has caught national attention – media outlets highlight the female brigades and even the government’s cultural agency has supported their participation with grants for materials *. Internationally, the giant kites have become a symbol of Guatemalan identity: in 2019, a collective of Guatemalan emigrants in Los Angeles worked with artists back home to display a 12-meter kite in California as a prideful showcase of “our beautiful traditions” * *. And with UNESCO’s recent listing of the kite-making art as part of humanity’s heritage, the practice now enjoys global validation * *. For modern organizations, these outcomes reinforce a key lesson: when a team ritual aligns with personal and cultural values, it produces not only engagement and low turnover, but also ripple effects of empowerment and positive branding far beyond the team itself.

Lessons for Global Team Leaders

Principle	Why It Matters	How to Translate
Anchor in heritage	Rituals rooted in authentic local culture spark pride and belonging.	Encourage teams in each region to adapt a cultural tradition into a team activity (with respect and genuine interest). For example, a team in India might celebrate a kite festival or a team in Brazil a local dance.
Co-create something	Building a tangible product or artifact together unites team members.	Organize hands-on projects where everyone contributes: a collaborative mural, a team-designed prototype, or even a group video. The key is shared ownership of the result.
Embrace inclusivity	When diverse members lead and participate fully, it strengthens the group.	Empower underrepresented folks to take on visible roles in team rituals. Rotate leadership of the ritual, ensuring junior staff or quieter voices get a chance to shine.
Purpose over party	Fun activities gel better when tied to a meaningful message or value.	Define a theme for your team ritual that reflects your mission (e.g. sustainability, community, innovation). Weave that meaning into the activity so it’s memorable and motivating.
Public celebration	Showcasing the team’s work builds confidence and camaraderie.	Create an opportunity to “launch” or display the output of your ritual – in front of other departments, families, or on social media – and celebrate it together. Recognition amplifies the bonding effect.

Implementation Playbook

Find your “kite.” Identify a culturally relevant or symbolically rich project your team can build together. It could be literal kites, a time capsule, a cookbook of team recipes – anything that requires input from all.
Map the timeline. Just as kites need planning months ahead, break your project into stages. Assign milestones leading up to a finale (e.g. plan -> create -> showcase) and put them on the calendar.
Gather materials & mentors. Provide the tools, space, and any training needed. If it’s a traditional craft, bring in a local expert or elder to kickstart the team’s learning *. Investing in resources shows that leadership values the ritual.
Make it inclusive. Ensure everyone has a role: design, execution, support. Mix people from different departments or backgrounds. Highlight the talents that don’t normally shine in daily work – someone in accounting might surprise as an artist, just as a machinist might lead a design brainstorm.
Ritualize the process. Don’t treat it as a one-off task; build mini-rituals into the project. For example, start each crafting session with a round of appreciations, or end with a team cheer. These mini-ceremonies keep energy high and mark the ritual as a special time, not just another meeting.

Common Pitfalls

Cultural appropriation: Adopting a tradition without understanding or respect can backfire. If you borrow a local ritual, engage cultural insiders and approach it with humility (it’s about learning, not just exploiting a theme).
Over-engineering: The beauty of rituals lies in meaning, not extravagance. Don’t force employees into a massive build without their buy-in or overload an already busy team. Scale the project so it challenges but doesn’t exhaust the group.
Exclusion: Be mindful that everyone can participate. For instance, if the activity is physically demanding or time-intensive outside work hours, offer alternative ways to contribute (like design ideas or light tasks) to those who have limitations. The ritual works only if it’s truly shared by the whole team.

Reflection & Call to Action

From the workshop floors of Sumpango to the conference rooms of any company, the lesson is clear: teams that build together bond together. The Giant Kite ritual shows how aligning work with culture and creativity can lift a team to new heights. You don’t need a national festival or a UNESCO decree to start your own team-building tradition. Look around – what in your environment could become your team’s “barrilete”? Perhaps it’s a hackathon that riffs on a local custom, a volunteering day reimagined as a community fiesta, or a simple yearly craft exchange that celebrates your group’s diversity. The specific form matters less than the authenticity and collective spirit you put into it.

Take a page from the kite-makers: dream up a bold idea, gather your people, and create something that represents your shared values. In doing so, you’ll weave a story that everyone on the team becomes part of. And when you finally step back and admire what you’ve built – like a vivid kite against the sky – you’ll see not just an object, but the strength and unity of the people who brought it to life.