When I woke up on Tuesday morning, the whole Hacienda was quiet. No one in sight, and I knew it was Tuesday, so SOMEONE should have been around. When Vero arrived, she informed me that the women were all off from work today since it is Mother’s Day here. Vero herself was not off, because she is not a mother. All the men showed up a little while later, at their usual time.
I was informed that I was invited to lunch at Doña Meche’s house, and at 6pm there would be festivities in the jardín to celebrate all the mothers. I wanted to bring her flowers for Mother’s Day, and since Tuesday is tianguis day (the farmer’s market) I figured I could buy flowers there, but no such luck. They told me that perhaps at 3pm there would be flowers for sale, but lunch was at 2pm, so what was I to do?
When I returned to the office, Vero and Jorge told me that Juanis sells flowers out of her home, so after much back-and-forth, I finally understood the directions to her house and went there to buy flowers. I settled on a bouquet of mums and daisies, figuring her husband should be the one to buy her roses. I also saw beautiful blue roses, and so bought one for myself, at which point Juanis’ husband also gave me one as a Mother’s Day gift! And, as it turned out, I had a blue blouse that perfectly matched the roses, so I put it on, and had a picture taken when I got back to the Hacienda.
Lunch at Doña Meche’s was delicious, and I got to meet many members of her family. Her husband also had a band come and play for us! After about 2 hours, I went back to my room at the Hacienda and took a nap, and so was refreshed for the night-time festivities.
At the jardín, there were scores of chairs set up, with a big open space to be used as a stage. There was a table set up for the women who would be honored – the oldest mother in the village, the woman with the most children, etc. These women were mentioned at the beginning of the ceremony and each given a bouquet. The mayor made a speech, and then the entertainment began – singers, dancers, and of course a band.
There is a saying that “It takes a village to raise a child,” but here in Cofradía, the whole village comes together for much more, such as quinceañeras, Easter celebrations, graduations, and now Mother’s Day. Such wonderful people, and now I am so happy to be a part of their community!
mex-pat.org 