December in Mexico

The days from the 1^st to the 12^th of December are celebrated all over Mexico in honour of Our Lady of Guadalupe or as they call her La Reina de Mexico. It’s been a big event here in Los Reyes with certain churches or parishes assigned certain days in which they are given the honour of having a special framed portrait of La Senora. Each area organizes their day with street decorations that go up that night, dances and music. Individual home owners will also have a special area usually outdoors in their yard, driveway or even on the sidewalk set up with a grotto to her. This can be decorated with flowers, pictures, lights, small ornaments and always roses and a special portrait in the middle. Some people buy a large printed piece of fabric with Our Lady of Guadalupe on it and hang that on an outside wall.

There are local co-coordinators for each area and street decorations are meticulously planned in many areas and the papers, ribbons etc. needed to make them are distributed to residents. One of the main down town streets here has rows of plastic glasses trimmed in gold glitter strung across the street. It sounds a bit weird, but actually looks lovely. In wealthier parts of the city homeowners string lights across the street. However, I much preferred the home-made decorations done on streets such as Abasolo poniente where they used small yellow disposable plates to make flowers and then coloured in the center with black marker.

Early in the morning around 5:30 am people gather in the street again to pray before the image. Then another procession starts through the streets of the city back to the main cathedral. The procession is led by the image, a banner and special ornate cross with a priest and local people chanting. At the rear are local dancers in costume who perform along the way and a mariachi band. Inside the cathedral everyone cheers and claps when the local group arrives and proceeds to the front of the church. The dancers follow performing up the center nave and down the side aisles.

One of the other teachers and I got up at 5 AM in order to join in with the Abasolo Poniente neighbour which is about 3 blocks south of our house. It was a very moving experience especially as they asked us to carry some of the floral arrangements in the procession to the cathedral and afterwards there were huge vats of freshly brewed real coffee and pastries for sale just outside the church. 'Yum, yum' to quote one of my students.


NOTE: This is very late posting as my blog site had posting 'issues' for a while