Mission in Mexico - Part 4
¡Las Celebraciones!
This is another in a group of posts to keep you all up to date on what I’m doing in Mexico.
Not everything is work down here. The Mexican people are like any others — they have good days and bad ones, some folks are grouchy and others are upbeat, many are hard working, and others, not so much. But I’ve found that most of the people that I’ve been working with are friendly, lively, and like to have fun.
May in Mexico is a month of celebrations and parties. It starts the last day of April, which is “The Day of the Children” (El Día de los Niños), and includes parties and gifts for younger kids in the schools and at home. It is a really big deal. The orphanage where I am helping had two different church groups come to bring meals and gifts on sequential days. There was dancing and music and games, and some of the adults even dressed up as cartoon characters. Some parties were scheduled as much as a week later. The Reading Program at Susana Wesley Instituto had a Día de los Niños party on May 7. So Día de los Niños gets stretched out over a week or so, but the festival days keep on coming.
May 1 is Labor Day, or Día del Trabajo. Businesses close for this legal holiday. Then comes May 5, Cinco de Mayo, which is really a more local festival near the city of Puebla. It commemorates the battle of Puebla when the Mexicans defeated the French in 1862. The victory didn’t last long, as France won the second battle of Puebla about a year later and took over the city. Nevertheless, May 5 is widely celebrated in Puebla (and parts of the U.S.) and is a good excuse for a party in other parts of Mexico as well.
Then the parties really get rolling. I said Día de los Niños is a big deal, but it is nothing like Mother’s Day here (Día de las Madres), which is always celebrated on May 10. Restaurants are chock full, flower stalls line the streets, and there is a line of cars two blocks long to get into the cemetery to decorate gravesites. Families gather and gifts are given. In worship there was a special recognition of all the mothers who were called up to the front of the sanctuary and blessed. This year May 10 fell on a Saturday, but they tell me it doesn’t matter if it falls in the middle of the week. Everything stops for Mom. (Father’s Day is the third Sunday of June. I asked one of the pastors here what happens on that day. His response: “Nada.”)
But that’s not all. Teacher’s Day (Día del Maestro) is May 15. Students bring handmade gifts, there are parties, and some schools have special events like concerts that the students present to honor their teachers. I was honored to be included as a maestro.
All this is reciprocated the next week on Student’s Day (Día del estudiante), May 23. More parties, and some classes are canceled.
It’s interesting and instructive to observe the behaviors of some of the children during these parties. I’ve been talking with the psychology students here about what to look for, and what the behavior may mean. One child is too aggressive, another is reluctant to play at all. One is seeking attention, and another is separating themselves from the group. As we discussed these observations later, I learned about some of the kids who don’t have fathers at home, or others who have been subjected to trauma. Everything has an impact on a child’s growth and development, and I’m hopeful that these seminars will help the students in their work with children later in their careers.
Apparently June is much less exciting. We’ll see.
I’m ending all these posts the same way:
Everything is funded through donations. Giving is easy through the United Methodist Advance site - https://gbhem-umc.my.site.com/hemgm/s/donate-to-campaign?id=a3fPo000000D43R. Every little bit helps.
Please send a prayer or kind thought down this way. They all help, too.
