Job Discussion Forums

[Samantha]

Today, December 16th, marks the first of 9 days of Christmas Posadas. The noise from Dec. 12th, Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe will pale by comparison. Children are bustling around the neighborhood today eagerly anticipating their pi�ata! We were all asked to contribute to the contents and I predict a major sugar rush for endless hours. The parents have rounded up the biggest speakers imaginable and excitement is in the air! I on the other hand am searching for tranquilizers for the pets and industrial strength earplugs for myself.

Each area of Mexico celebrates this time period differently and it would be fun to hear what's going on in other neighborhoods tonight. Here is a link describing traditional events surrounding this happy season.

http://www.inside-mexico.com/RevistaNewsl.htm

[Guy Courchesne]

Every year, I say to myself 'this is the year they'll let me bust the pinata' and every year I get the job of working the rope. Too many kids in the family who get first crack at it...sigh. The downside of being a foreign uncle.

[mapache]

Guy,
Do you pay the "domingos"? I was really excited when the little kids in the family here called me "Tio". Then one of my Mexican friends said, "That's because you have to give them money on Sunday". I love the family culture in Mexico. So far, I have been "Tio", "Padrino" , "Compadre" and "Padrino del Brindis"

[Guy Courchesne]

Pay the domingos...I'm not familiar with that. My in-laws are really only semi-traditional folk I think though. I too love the family culture. My own Canadian family is not very close with each other and I'm an only child at that (can you tell? ). With 7 brothers and sisters-in law here, all married with kids, it is a very different experience.

[Samantha]

I've never heard of that particular tradition either. Maybe they were having you on. I guess my Mexican family isn't all that traditional either, but then again, define traditional. I think families are families wherever we go. This auntie not talking to that one, this cousin's wife disrupting the family by avoiding another relative....on it goes. All pretty familiar. In fact I often just pretend I don't understand what's going on so I don't have to get involved in the family chismes. I have to say, there is plenty of drama in Mexican families.

[mapache]

"domingos" are a small weekly allowance for the children.

you're right about the drama - I tell my Mexican mother who adoped me into her family that she doesn't need to watch "novellas" because her house is one with five sons and daughters and their families.

[MELEE]

I know what Domingos are but it's not up to the uncle to pay them Mapache!

[mapache]

If you don't know what they are, how do you know who pays them?

[mapache]

my bad - I misread your reply. In any case, it's great to have a huge extented family adopt me here in Mexico chisme or no chisme.

[Guy Courchesne]

I asked my wife about them...she says that's a padrino's job. Whew...probably saved me a lot of Sunday beer and poker money.

[Samantha]

Yes, now there's your expensive job description within a Mexican family!!

[J Sevigny]

I sometimes toss my little newphews (and niece) a few pesos for chicles or whatever but I wouldn't want it to turn into a regular thing

Incidentally, has anyone noticed that in many places, the word posada has become merely a synonym for "christmas party?"

Back in the day, and probaby outside of modernization-fixated Guadalajara, there was all that business about going house to house, commemorating Mary and Joseph's search for a place to give birth, etc.

[Guy Courchesne]

No one does that in Guadalajara? My family here does it, though not as much house-to-house than a singing, candlelit procession up the street and back. When they get back, the family divides into two - half in the house, half to the door outside, where they continue to sing the whole -Let me in song.

[Samantha]

Yes, here the Posada days are all about parties too, but they still do a true Christmas Posada in el Centro Historico which is nice to see. They do another at Semana Santa.

In some areas of Mexico, the Immigration department celebrates Day of the Foreigner, which is apparently 18 Dec. It seems to be a well kept secret and here I think INAMI uses the budgeted funds for their own Christmas Posada which is usually the nearest weekend. They have a good all-out party at a local restaurant. The one time I discovered and attended Day of the Foreigner at the Immigration office, they served bottled water and Sam's Club cookies and gave long boring speeches. Fun! A friend who works at Immigration asked "what are you doing here?" as he was munching on a cookie. LOL! "I came to eat your cookies, what do you think?!" It just isn't made public or they don't bother in some places.

[J Sevigny]

I'm starting to think Guadalajara is the most Americanized city in Mexico. Most people give Monterrey that unwanted title but having lived in both I can definitely say that I feel more like I'm living in a California suburb here than I did in Monterrey. Actually, some Florida suburbs are more "Latin" than Guadalajara (I know this last paragraph is full of subjective terms and I'm not looking to get into a semantic conversation. You guys know what I mean).

I read recently that Plaza del Sol, constructed in 68, was the first mall in Latin America. The death of the posada is just another piece of evidence, I suppose.

Nobody does the true Posada thing here as far as I can tell. My family in Coahuila does, though. But they're really, really traditional.