Few North Americans recognize that the roots of these treasured “Christmas” traditions were active long before the birth of Christ. In fact, most evolved from pagan winter solstice rituals of the Celts, Druids, Scandinavians and indigenous groups, and the much older Jewish Festival of Lights. While the most beloved Mexican Christmas traditions are firmly based […]
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In Mexico, the Christmas season is a month-long fiesta, starting with the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe on December 12th, and continuing through the posadas, Noche Buena and Navidad, right up to the Three Kings Day on January 6th. During this celebratory month, preparing seasonal dishes is an important part of the festivities, with […]
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Mexican Kitchen The usually bustling Mexican markets become even more so in December, when the mountains of fruit for ponche navideño (Christmas punch) compete with a wild array of tinsel-y decorations for shoppers’ attention, and the excitement leading to the posadas and pastorelas builds up. The culmination of all this preparation is, of course, Noche […]
Continue ReadingBy MexConnect’s food staff: Karen, Camille, Anita, Ana, Jan (Big Mama) and David We warned you! (After reading through this Introduction, you will find the doorway to the Christmas Kitchen at the bottom). If you’re one of those poor, unhappy souls who had hoped to lose 10 pounds before the holidays, promised yourself you would eat […]
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For one night of the year in Oaxaca, Mexico, the Raphanus sativus, or radish as it is more commonly known, escapes its destiny as root vegetable side dish and becomes art. Thousands upon thousands of radish revelers turn out on December 23rd to check out the newest vegetable-turned-art creations on display in the Zocalo. The artists have […]
Continue ReadingLike any other day weekday, I took the train to work. Like any other day at the office, I made myself a cup of hot tea before settling in at my desk. But — unlike any other day — there was a cardboard FedEx box sitting on my desk. The package came from San Diego, […]
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In the current edition of Guinness, the Mexican responsible for most records is Sergio Rodriguez Villarreal from the northern state of Nuevo León. He specializes in creating giant Christmas figures and holds five records at the moment for the “biggest” ornaments which are (respectively) an angel, silver bauble, bell, candle and wreath. Rodriguez first designs […]
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Mothers of Mexico’s missing say Christmas and birthdays are the hardest parts. That makes sense. Christmas is family time. We see it in our community. Workers are off for a few extra days. Three generations climb into pickup trucks and go visit relatives – even if it is just across town. They have lunch and […]
Continue ReadingNot that the commercialization of Christmas has totally taken over Mexico, but it seems that Santa and Rudolph might be slowly gaining over the Holy Family and the Three Kings. Once upon a time, there were precious few images of Santa Claus in Mexico, and Gene Autry’s rendition of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Raindeer” was […]
Continue Reading“What is Christmas like in Mexico?” asked my friend, Edward. It didn’t take much encouragement for me to eagerly share this experience: Once upon a Christmas nighttime, in a tiny village on the shores of Lake Chapala in the State of Jalisco, began las posadas, which means “the inns.” At the shy invitation of my beloved housekeeper, […]
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