Christmas Season Ends

The Mexicans can make a holiday season stretch for months.  And Christmas is a prime example; it also showcases their ability to link family and friends and fiestas.

Christmas starts in mid December:  celebrations for the Virgin of Guadalupe that stretch a few days.  Then the Christmas posadas.  Then Christmas.  Then New Years.  Then Dia de los Reyes, Day of Kings,  -- which here is when traditional gift giving occurs.  Kings Day features Rosca de Reyes, a special sweet bread topped with dried fruits and stuffed with a few plastic baby Jesus figures.  Yeah, plastic baby Jesus figures.  So, the lucky person who finds a Jesus figure then hosts a party 40 days after Christmas, on February 2, Dia de la Candelaria.  The party traditionally features tamales and champurrado, a special hot chocolate drink.

The local cruisers club had tamales and champurrado at coffee hour yesterday.

And that wraps up Christmas Season.  Constitution Day is celebrated this week; Carnival starts; then it is Valentine's Day (more broadly targeting friendship here).  The place knows how to party.

Special treats for Dia de la Candelaria

Coffee Hour crowd