Originally, I had planned to go home for the holidays, but as the holidays grew closer I had a change of heart. I wanted to experience a Christmas in Mexico. I had always remembered a comment that was made by a returned volunteer while we were at our staging event in Washington, D.C. (staging is the 3 days you spend in D.C. completing logistical tasks and meeting your group members before you officially depart for your country of service) She mentioned that her biggest regret of her service was not spending at least one Christmas in Mexico. I did not want to have this same regret. For a long time I was torn between my two options. Both options were desirable, which meant I would miss out on whichever one I did not choose. Tough decision! Ultimately, I decided to stay in Mexico. I am glad I made this decision, but I would be lying if I said I didn't miss being with my family over the holidays. That said....here is what I got up to over the holidays...
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| Neighborhood Christmas Party (Posada) |
Much like in the United States, Mexicans have many Christmas Parties before actual Christmas day. These are called Posadas and it is pretty much a guarantee that any organization you are a part of is going to have one (work, clubs, friend groups, neighborhoods etc). This essentially makes December one big party because there are Posadas going on all the time and it is likely that you will be attending a fair amount of them...
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| Game where the kids try to climb a poll to reach gifts hanging at the top |
These first few photos are from one of the Posadas I attended. This Posada was a neighborhood party that took place in the street. There were tons of kids running around playing games while adults chatted. Houses were handing out food, sweets, and drinks to everyone. If you finished your ponche, (a traditional drink for this time of year...it is similar to a cider, but is made with a variety of fruits and can be enhanced with a dash of tequila if desired) all you had to do was ask a neighbor if they could fill up your glass. Everyone was sharing and it was a great time!
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| Another game...like bobbing for apples but the kids are bobbing for coins hidden in a tray of flower |
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| Christmas Eve Dinner #2. Mini bonfire in the street while grilling our delicious carne asada meal |
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| Doing my part to break the Piñata! There were SO many Piñatas. |
After my Christmas Eve celebrations wrapped up, I headed home for a few hours. I took a quick nap called some family members to wish them Merry Christmas and then headed out again...this time for a wedding. As I mentioned, usually Christmas Day is pretty relaxed and spent with family, but I happened to be invited to a wedding so that meant no relaxing for me! The wedding was actually a renewal of the vow ceremony for a couple who have been married for 60 years. To commemorate this anniversary their 12 children threw them a wedding! This was an all day affair. The day started out with the ceremony, then moved on to the reception where we ate and listened to mariachi for a few hours. Once the sun had set, it was time for the dance portion of the evening.
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| Christmas Day in Ciudad Guzmán |
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| Mariachi playing at the reception |
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| Bride and Groom cutting their cake |
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| Dance Party! |
With Christmas celebrations complete it was then on to New Year's celebrations. New Year's is celebrated much the same as it is in the U.S. It is less family oriented and more commonly celebrated at parties with friends....at least this was my experience. For my New Year's, I hosted some friends at my house to celebrate the beginning of 2016. Then, in true Mexican fashion, on the morning of New Years Day I went for a Leche Caliente (I wrote a blog post on this before...but this is where you go to a farm and put sugar and a dash of alcohol in a cup, hand it to the farm workers and they fill your cup with milk straight from the cow's utter). I must say this drink is growing on me and I do enjoy it a lot. Personally, I was quite full after my Leche and tamale I ate and thought my companions were as well, but that turned out to not be the case. Next thing I knew we were back in the car heading to a seafood restaurant for lunch...nothing like eating shrimp right after drinking a leche caliente ;)...After this adventure, an utterly exhausted Mary went home for a quick nap and then a few hours later was off to another friend's house for dinner. The celebrations just kept going and going!
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| Celebrating New Year's Mexican style...with tequila! |
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| With friends on New Year's Eve |
This concludes the recap of my Christmas and New Year's celebrations in Mexico. I am glad I got to spend the Christmas and New Years in Mexico. This holiday season ended up being one I will never forget. I will be forever grateful to my friends here for inviting me to their familial events. Spending the holidays with their families helped me cope with being away from my own.
Wishing everyone a blessed and productive 2016!!!
