Contemporary Culture Global Understanding Mexican Traditions Marcelo Ignacio García Ayala 685003

1. Contemporary Culture Global Understanding Mexican Traditions Marcelo Ignacio García Ayala 685003

2. El Mes Patrio • September is the most important month for Mexican history. Las Fiestas Patrias, or Homeland Celebrations, include La Noche del Grito, Mexican Independence Day, and el Día de Los Ninos Héroes de Chapultepec. All are celebrated in mid September making it an important month for Mexican National heritage. Find out how Las Fiestas Patrias originated, or read about the activities that surround this festive day.Similar to other Mexican celebrations, people take time to enjoy the day and gather with friends and family. Here are a few of the activities that take place during Fiestas Patrias. • Bands play live marachi music in parks and plazas. Artists create and sell their crafts to people who are strolling through the streets. Dancers and actors put on elaborate theater performances for large audiences. People gather and share large, home-cooked meals. • Large quantities of beer and tequila are shared among friends and family. Communities and homes are decorated with Mexican flags and red, green and white ribbons. On September 16, there are elaborate fireworks displays throughout Mexico. Friends and families dance together, yelling, "¡Viva Mexico!"

3. Bullfight • Bullfighting as we know it today, started in the village squares, and became formalised, with the building of the bullring in Ronda in the late 18th century. From that time, it began to follow a particular sequence of events: the entrance of the bull, the picador, the banderilleros, and finally the matador (bullfighter). Many of the picadors' horses were injured in the early days, so these heavy horses now wear protection. • Novice bullfighter is called a novillero and fights not in a corrida, but in a novillada with young bulls (novillos) • Bullfighting on horseback is called rejoneo. • In Mexico, Bullfights are held at the bullring Plaza de Toros. The bullfighting season runs from December to April every Sunday and most holidays. You can also find rodeos or charreadas during the offseason.

4. Pastorelas • This Mexican Christmas tradition refers to events prior to the birth of Jesus with the splendor of the manger and the shepherds. The pastorelas, as a scenic and literary genre, had its roots in 16th century Spanish religious theatre. The players may be local townsfolk, groups of schoolchildren, semi professional traveling troupes of actors during the Christmas season. • This was first introduced in Mexico by missionaries in the 1500's, the pastorelas continued to grow in favor among the Mexican people and today are one of the most popular Christmastime entertainments. • Mixing religious teachings with Indian Mexican folklore and ribald comedy, the pastorelas all tell pretty much the same story...the eternal conflict between good and evil. The plot revolves around the pilgrimage of the shepherds to Bethlehem to see the newborn Christ Child.

5. Dia de Reyes • Dia de Reyes (Epiphany) - Each year, this Mexican Christmas tradition continues. The children gather at the Alameda Central Park in Mexico City to visit The Three Kings and hand-deliver letters with their wishes and gifts in the tradition of the Three Wise Men who came from the East, following the star of Bethlehem, and presenting the Christ Child with gold, incense and myrrh. • The traditional Epiphany supper of ring-shaped cake with hot chocolate originated in Spain and made its way to Mexico. The cake is decorated with sugar and dried fruit. A small figure, representing the Christ Child, is hidden inside the cake. • It is the Magi who brought the presents to the Baby Jesus, thus, they bring the toys to the boys and girls who have been good. The children place their shoes by the window, so the Magi place the present in the shoe.

6. Dia de Muertos • Day of the Dead - November 1, All Saints Day, and November 2, All Souls Day are marked throughout Mexico by a plethora of intriguing customs that vary widely according to the ethnic roots of each region. Common to all, however, are colorful adornments and lively reunions at family burial plots, the preparation of special foods, offerings laid out for the departed on commemorative altars and religious rites that are likely to include noisy fireworks.From mid-October through the first week of November, markets and shops all over Mexico are replete with the special accouterments for the Dia de Muertos . These include all manner of skeletons and other macabre toys; intricate tissue paper cut-outs called papel picado; elaborate wreathsand crosses decorated with paper or silk flowers; candles and votive lights; and fresh seasonal flowers, particularly cempazuchiles (marigolds) and barro de obispo (cockscomb). • Among the edible goodies offered are skulls, coffins and the like made from sugar, chocolate or amaranth seeds and special baked goods, notably sugary sweet rolls called pan de muerto that come in various sizes invariably topped with bits of dough shaped like bones and, in some regions, unadorned dark breads molded into humanoid figures called animas (souls). All of these goods are destined for the buyer's ofrenda de muertos (offering to the dead).

7. Santos Inocentes • Los Santos Inocentes - December 28, Day of the Holy Innocents, is a religious commemoration of King Herod's ordering the slaughter of all male infants in his kingdom, intended to include the Christ Child. • In Mexico it is celebrated as day akin to April Fool's, an occasion for jokes and pranks. The usual tactic is to approach a friend and ask to borrow cash or some object of value. If fooled by the ploy, the victim may be given a candy or silly gift in return, along with much joking and name-calling. So beware or you may find yourself titled Fool Saint for a day!

8. Posadas • Las Posadas – This Mexican Christmas tradition is the best known manifestation of the Christmas spirit held each night on the nine days between December 16th and Christmas eve which, according to religious tradition, represents the period when Mary and Joseph long ago search for lodgings were seeking shelter before the birth of Jesus is re-enacted. • Solemn and deeply religious in feeling at first, the observances soon became imbued with a spirit of fun and eventually left the church and began to be celebrated in people's homes. • The posadas have become a community affair with friends, relatives and neighbors getting together to share in the festivities, visiting a different house each evening. People carry candles, visit several houses and ask for “posada” (shelter), the adults are given a thick punch “Ponche Navideno” and at the end of the journey, the “piñata”, stuffed with candy and fruit, is broken. Christmas itself is usually celebrated on Christmas Eve in Mexico with a midnight mass and a late dinner.

9. Lent in Mexico • Lent is the period of 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. The word for Lent in Spanish is Cuaresma, which comes from the word cuarenta, meaning forty, because Lent lasts for forty days (plus six Sundays which are not counted). For Christians this is traditionally a time of sobriety and abstinence meant to correspond to the time Jesus spent in the wilderness. Many people give up something for Lent. In Mexico it is customary to abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent. • The first day of Lent is Ash Wednesday. On this day people go to church and the priest draws the sign of the cross in ashes on their forehead. This is a sign of repentance and is meant to remind people of their mortality. In Mexico, many Catholics leave the ashes on their foreheads all day as a sign of humility.

10. Virgin of Guadalupe • Virgin Mary, appeared to Juan Diego, an Indian and told him her name was SANTA MARIA DE GUADALUPE and instructed him to visit the highest Priest and ask him to build a Church for her to be adored. Juan Diego did as he was told but nobody believed him. Then Virgin Mary visited him once more and asked him to go to a nearby hill and to gather some roses and to take them to the Priest and that they would believe him now. He did as he was told. At the top of the hill he found the prettiest roses he had ever seen and considering they were not in season, he was sure he wouldn't have any trouble now. When he took the roses to the Priest he had them gathered in a piece of cloth Indians used as a coat (like a cape but with the knot at the front) and he dropped the flowers and saw the Priest kneel down immediately thus the cloth had the Virgin´s image printed on it. Of course the church was built exactly where the Virgin had appeared to Juan Diego. We celebrate this on December the. People visit the church from every state and some even go by foot and take several days to do so.

11. Birthday Parties • A typical child's birthday party in Mexico isn't just a child-themed party. It involves friends and family. There is always plenty of food, drink and music. • The piñata is an important part of the activities. The birthday child gets to go first and try to break the piñata while an adult will pull the rope the piñata hangs from to raise and lower the piñata while the child is swinging. • This way all the kids get a chance to try to break the piñata before it is actually broken open. 

12. Mexican Christmas • On Noche Buena, December 24, everybody goesto Misade Noche Buena which is at midnight. After the Mass, everyone goes to their respective homes to have dinner with family and any friend who does not have a family is always welcome to be part of a family celebration, and most important of all to place the Baby Jesus in the manger in the Nativity scene. • The presents are not received on Christmas, for Christmas is a celebration of Life of Our Savior. • The New Year's Eve, there is a Misa de Gallo, (Rooster's Mass) that takes place at midnight also. Some families go to church earlies to give thanks for all the blessings received during the year.

13. Processions • Every October 12, Catholics all over Mexico converge in Guadalajara for the Procession of the Virgin of Zapopan, when the 10 inch statue of the virgin is carried out of the Cathedral in Guadalajara, and leads an 8km parade with 1 million people to the community of Zapopan on the outskirts of the city where she enters the Basilica of Zapopan. • The size of this procession is indescribable.  One million people go a very very very long way, and the parade just doesn’t stop.  The celebration starts the night before when thousands of people sleep on the streets and begins with a 5 a.m. mass at the cathedral, which is nearly impossible to gain entry to.  At 6 a.m. the tiny virgin leaves the cathedral to ringing bells and applause from the waiting crowd.

14. Dances • The Tlacolorerosis an interesting and unique agricultural dance. This is performed in the state of Guerrero. The name is derived from the Aztec Tlacolol, which means "to prepare the land for cultivation." • The dance represents the burning of the bushes and the cleaning of the corn-patch, and the dancers wear burlap tunics, jeans, tick boots that reach above the knees and are lanced at the sides, and large interesting masks that represent animals, usually a tiger. • Guerrero is famous for their dances and costumes. The tlacoloreros are directed by a captain and dance to violin music, marking the rhythm with their whips, which they hit each other with on their padded left arms to imitate the crackling of the fire as it burns the trees. A dog goes after the tiger that is damaging the cornfields. At one stage of the dance, the fires go out. While trying to find out whose fault it is, they go about whipping one another. Their whips are combined with chains, reproducing the bursting flames to the rhythm of the music.