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Archive for the ‘Holidays’ Category

Fathers of Oaxaca, 2014

Posted in Celebrations, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , on June 15, 2014| 6 Comments »

To all the loving fathers out there…

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A very happy Father’s Day!

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Not your traditional Carnival

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 12, 2014| 3 Comments »

True confession:  I’m not in Oaxaca!  I arrived in the San Francisco Bay Area a week ago for a 3-week visit.  While I love seeing family, friends, “my” mountain (Mt. Tamalpais), and the Pacific Ocean, it also means bone-chilling summer fog, driving instead of walking most everywhere, and the absence of my regular blog fodder — no calendas, ferias, festivals, saints days, bandas, and urban art.  (Though, I will probably head to San Francisco for the latter!)

However, this break-in-the-action gives me time to look back through thousands of photos and create posts that had been put on the back-burner when something bigger, better, or more timely cropped up.

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So, here we go, back to Friday, April 24, 2014 — the last of five days of Carnaval in Teotitlán del Valle.

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While there are masks, costumes, men dressed as women, and merriment, this is not your Christian pre-Lenten Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras Carnival.

Man wearing female mask, wig, and clothing

This is a pre-Hispanic celebration that happens the Monday through Friday after Easter, not before Lent.

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Via El Baile de Los Viejitos (the Dance of the Old Men), it brings the community and elected leadership together to remind each of their social contract — in an extremely humorous way.

Young viejito

A procession, gathering participants along the way, leads to the Municipal Plaza, where it seems as if the entire village assembles.

2 elderly women watching Dance of the Old Men

And, of course, the dance and ritual continue late into the night…

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Happy Mother’s Day

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Holidays, tagged , , , , , , , on May 10, 2014| 4 Comments »

Braided with love (and a little pain).  Ahhh, I remember it well…  Thinking of you, mom.

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Triqui mother and daughter near Santo Domingo, Oaxaca city, 2014

3 generations on top of El Picacho, Teotitlán del Valle

3 generations on top of El Picacho, Teotitlán del Valle, 2014 Día de la Santa Cruz.

Queen and mother at 2nd Viernes en Llano, Oaxaca city

Queen and mother at 2nd Viernes del Llano, March 2014, Oaxaca city.

Feliz Día de la Madre to all the beautiful, hardworking mothers of Oaxaca and all over the world.

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Happy May Day to workers everywhere!

Posted in Celebrations, Economics, History, Holidays, Labor, People, Politics, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Even though the significance of May 1, as International Workers’ Day, had its origin in the USA, it is not celebrated there (for a variety of reasons I won’t go into here).  However, like most countries in the world, Día del Trabajo is a national holiday in Mexico.  To honor labor everywhere, here is Oaxaca’s favorite daughter singing her song, “Mother Jones.”

“Pray for the dead, but fight like Hell for the living.”  — Mary Harris Jones (aka, Mother Jones, the miners’ angel)

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Celebrate the children

Posted in Celebrations, Creativity, Culture, Exhibitions, Holidays, Museums, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 29, 2014| 4 Comments »

On Saturday, we drove to San Bartolo Coyotepec for the opening of the exhibition, Colorum, an exhibit of art by the children of Oaxaca, mounted as part of tomorrow’s el Día del Niño (Children’s Day) celebrations.  We went primarily to support my friend Juan, as his son Allan was one of the young artists participating in the show.  However, we stayed because it was a wonderfully inspiring and uplifting experience and I applaud the Museo Estatal de Arte Popular Oaxaca (MEAPO) for encouraging and showcasing the imagination and creativity of the children of Oaxaca.

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What is given to children, the children will give to society.

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Children are the most important resource in the world and the best hope for the future.

The free imagination transforms the world and makes things fly.

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The Colorum exhibition lasts until May 20, 2014.  It is open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Tuesday through Sunday.

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Feliz cumpleaños Oaxaca!

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, History, Holidays, Transportation, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , on April 25, 2014| 2 Comments »

Today the City of Oaxaca celebrates 482 years as a colonial city.  (*** See below for a little history.)  The day began at 6 AM with the ringing of the Cathedral’s bells, the singing of Mañanitas Oaxaqueñas, and marimbas and tamales on the Alameda de León. Alas, that was a little early for me to be up, dressed, and downtown.  However, all I had to do was step out on my terrace to watch the next event of the day.

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Five Pilatus PC7 Mexican Air Force planes put on a  show over the city.

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They made several passes over the city.

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For their finale, contrails displayed the green, white, and red of the Mexican flag.

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And then they were gone.  I love how Noticias concludes their report,  “After 45 minutes, the ‘steel birds’ returned to their base, pending a new appeal to challenge gravity.”

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Celebrations continue through May 8 and a schedule of events can be found HERE.

*** In 1532 Spanish settlers (their bloody way paved by Hernán Cortés and his conquistadores) successfully petitioned the Queen of Spain for a land grant of 1 square league.  The colonists had already established their own town on the site of Huaxyacac, renamed it Antequera (after an old Roman city  in Spain) and received a Royal Charter from King Charles I of Spain. However, Cortés had successfully gotten the entire Valley of Oaxaca (hundreds of thousands of acres) declared as his own private marquisate and, his greed knowing no bounds, kept trying to evict the colonial townspeople.  By obtaining the queen’s charter, this end-run around Cortés insured the rights of the townspeople to the land.

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Portraits of Jesús

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Holidays, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 23, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Good Friday wasn’t all about Mary.  Viernes Santo processions present larger-than-life images of Jesús in all his piety and suffering.

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Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ
Who are you? What have you sacrificed?
Jesus Christ Superstar
Do you think you’re what they say you are?

— Superstar, lyrics by Andrew Lloyd Webber

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Portraits of María

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Holidays, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 21, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Good Friday in Oaxaca… Jesús may be the one who they say was crucified and resurrected, but María is never far from his side.

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From frequent traveler to Oaxaca, Liza Bakewell’s book, Madre:  Perilous Journeys with a Spanish Noun:

One can travel all over Spain and its former viceroyalties and never see as many elaborately bedecked and bejeweled Virgins as one will see here in Mexico — neither in number, nor in glory.  Yes, in Peru there are many famously ornate ones.  In Colombia, too.  Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador have their share.  The Philippines is a runner-up.  But Mexico has all of them beat.  Marian devotion, the worship of the Virgin Mary in all her forms through song, prayer, writing painting, sculpture, and shrines, went wild in Mexico.  (p. 169)

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Felices a todos!

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Holidays, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 20, 2014| 2 Comments »

From the streets of Oaxaca today, wishing you happy Easter Sunday…

Palm fronds and cross against blue wall

Four Twenty Day…

Caps with Bob Marley image & marijuana leaves

almost Earth Day…

T-shirt "Local food = primary care"

And, though nothing seen around the streets of the city, a happy Passover!

 

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Holy blindfold, Batman!

Posted in Celebrations, Churches, Holidays, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 18, 2014| 4 Comments »

Last night, fortified by tostadas, guacamole, and a little vino, a gal pal and I set out for the Jueves Santo (aka:  Holy Thursday and Maundy Thursday) tradition of visiting seven churches.  According to that fount of knowledge, Wikipedia, “The tradition of visiting seven churches on Holy Thursday is an ancient practice, probably originating in Rome.”

We purchased our bag of Pan Bendito (bread that had been blessed) and set off.  As always, the sidewalks were teeming with people in a combination of a semi-solemn pilgrimage, street festival, family night at the fair, and date night.  (Of course, there was canoodling.)  And, despite the “Entrada” and “Salida” signs on the doors of many of the churches, foot traffic was often gridlocked.  I didn’t help matters when I stopped short.  Jesus wearing a blindfold?

Blindfolded statue of Jesus

At another church, another blindfolded Jesus…

Blindfolded Jesus behind bars

And, another…

Blindfolded statue of Jesus behind bars

Holy Thursday, Batman, how could I have missed these blindfolded Jesus figures in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013???

(For those, like me, who are clueless where this blindfold business comes from:  According to the Gospels of Luke (22:64) and Mark (14:65), Jesus was blindfolded, mocked, and beaten following his trial and before his crucifixion.)

 

 

 

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Good Friday morning to you

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Holidays, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 18, 2014| 5 Comments »

And so, Viernes Santo began…

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Processions from churches in the Historic District began at 7:00 AM.

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They converged at the Alameda, on the south side of the Cathedral,

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where “our Lord meets his most Holy Mother going towards Calvary.”

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The faithful, now as one, then proceeded east on Independencia…

People dragging wooden crosses

along with the images of Mary and Jesus…

Statues of Mary and Jesus

stopping along the way at Stations of the Cross.

Septima Estacion - altar on outside stairs

I left at 9:30 AM — they were still going.  Early this evening, all will again gather for the Procession of Silence.  No rest for the faithful or weary bloggers!

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Lady of Sorrows

Posted in Culture, Holidays, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 11, 2014| 2 Comments »

Today is the sixth Friday of Lent and Oaxaca is commemorating Viernes de Dolores, the Friday of Our Lady of Sorrows.

The Municipality of Oaxaca, the Ministry of Tourism, and Hotel Quinta Real Oaxaca extended an invitation to a free Concierto Viernes de Dolores in the Ex Convento de Santa Catalina de Siena.  The less than one-hour program included a description of the altar (including the sprouted chia — yes, the original Chia Pets); a powerful poem relating the story of the celebration that alternated with a musical program sung by Coro de la Ciudad de Oaxaca, under the direction of Israel Rivera Cañas, that included the traditional, Stabat Mater de Juan Matís, a 13th-century Catholic hymn about the Sorrows of Mary.

At the Cross her station keeping,
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to her Son to the last.

– Stabat Mater

The acoustics of Santa Catalina de Siena were wonderful, the horchata and agua de chia, served at the conclusion of the program, were refreshing, and it was a much welcome and tranquil way to spend an hour on a busy Friday.

 

 

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Day of love & friendship

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Holidays, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , on February 14, 2014| 8 Comments »

After a day’s delay (thanks to the big snow storm), I’ll be spending Valentine’s Day enroute to the US East Coast to visit family.  However, I wanted to wish all my readers much love and friendship.

String of hearts with word, amor¡Feliz día del amor y la amistad!

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Danger / Peligro

Posted in Celebrations, Churches, Culture, Holidays, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , on January 19, 2014| 4 Comments »

Beware, anyone in the vicinity of Carmen Alto church tonight…

There’s going to be some major fireworks!!!

Oaxaca is celebrating the Black Christ, Señor de Esquipulas.

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It’s a merry-go-round

Posted in Celebrations, Culture, Food, Holidays, Religion, Travel & Tourism, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on January 6, 2014| 1 Comment »

We are still enjoying the Christmas merry-go-round in Oaxaca.  Lucky for “children” young and old, the San Pablo Cultural and Educational Center has even provided a real (not just metaphorical) carousel to hop on during this holiday season.  And today, along with riding the merry-go-round, in honor of Día de Reyes, all were welcome to partake in the traditional Rosca de Reyes (Three Kings cake) — served by none other than Tato, the birdbrain (after all he is an ostrich) Oaxaca Guerreros team (baseball) mascot (though I think he was doing more eating than serving).  Thankfully, on this chilly night, there was also hot chocolate (with milk or water, your choice) with which to warm hands and dip cake.

Whew!!!  A baby Jesus figurine was not found in my piece of Rosca de Reyes, so I won’t have to throw a tamale and atole party on Candlemas, February 2nd, for everyone present at this evening’s festivities.

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