¡Bienvenido a

México!

How to fiesta

La comida

La música

… and a piñata

Mariachis y (narco)corridos- street musicians from Jalisco- 1905: birthday party of mexican dictator

Porfirio Díaz- french: “Mariage”- traditional “Charro”-suits (mexican

cowboys)- Ensemble: oversize mexican guitar,

smaller guitar (“Vihuela”), bass guitar, trumpet, 2 violins, singer, harp (occasionally)

- songs about love, heartaches, women & the beauty of Mexico

- Día de Santa Cecilia (Nov 22, patron saint)- Fiesta Internacional del Mariachi (Jalisco,

late Aug/early Sept)- Mexico City: Plaza Garibaldi (N)

- Heroic ballads (former themes: borderland struggle, Mexican Revolution; modern: love, violence, drugs, crime, corruption) - Employers: often the mafia (> 20 deaths in the recent years)- not played publicly anymore since 2001

Family occasions

-baptism- quinceañera

Thanksgiving mass (catholics)- Rosary/locket (Señora de Guadalupe)- Tiara- Flower bouquet

Celebration party- Gifts/toasts & speeches- Dances (waltz & modern)- La Ultima Muñeca (Mayan ritual)- Ritual of the shoe- recalentado

- wedding- funeral- & others

MY SISTERS

DEBUT

El deporte

(Pantomime)- Día de la Raza- Navidad- Día de Nuestra

Señora de Guadalupe

- Año Nuevo- Día de Todos los

Santos & Día de los Muertos

- Semana Santa- Carnaval- Día de la

Independencia- Día de los Santos

Reyes

Semana Santa (Apr) y Navidad (Dec 25) – most important holidays of the year

- Holy Week (Palm Sunday – Easter Sunday)- church mass on Good Friday & Easter

Sunday- breaking of cascarones over heads of

friends & family- Passion Play, Processión del Silencio

(regional)- flower decorated altars everywhere

- Beginning: fiesta for the Virgin de la Solidad (Dec 16-18, patron saint of Oaxaca)

- Highlight: Posada Play (Dec 18-24, afterwards church mass, piñata party)

- Dec 23: huge parade (Queretaro); Noche de los Rabanos (booths on Zócalo)

- Christmas Eve: Nochebuena (processions, music, dancing, piñatas, fireworks)

- Día de los Santos Reyes (Jan 06): family dinner with mole and rosca (image, muneca inside)

- End of festivities: Día de Candelaria (Feb 2, party, dances on churchyard, special market)

Carnaval (Mar)- 5-day celebration before Ash Wednesday

(beginning of the 40-day fasting period)- “Carnaval“ (Latin): take away/goodbye to flesh- largest events in port cities, especially in:

Mazatlán (third largest after Rio de Janeiro & New Orleans), Ensenada, La Paz, Veracruz

- Parades, floats, costumes, masks (protection from evil spirits, anonymity), music, dancing, food, drinks & liquor, cascarones, crafts market

- occasionally: amusement parks, masquerade balls, outdoor festivals, public street fair (Mazatlán), fireworks

- Coronation of the Flower Queen, the Carnaval Queen & El Rey Feo

- the Quema de Mal Humor- Monday: El Día del Marido Oprimido

Día de la Raza (Oct 12)- celebration of Columbus’s arrival in the

Americas 1492- first celebrated in Mexico in 1928- celebrated all over the continent & in Spain

(USA: Columbus Day, Bahamas: Discovery Day, Uruguay: Día de las Américas)

- new Spanish title since 1957: Día de la Hispanidad

- role-plays in schools

Día de la Independencia (Sep 16)- after Spanish Revolution under Napoleon:

splitting of Spaniards in Mexico between Gachupines (Spanish-born following Joseph Bonaparte) and Criollos (Spaniards born in Mexico, followers of King Ferninand of Spain)

- Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo: well-educated humanitarian sympathising with Indians

- El Grito de Dolores: “¡Mexicanos, Viva Mexico!“ turned into a massacre of Spaniards

- 1810: battle of independence between indigenous Indians and Mestizos against Spanish government

- Hidalgo executed by Gachupines only 1 year later

- 11 years of war- today: every year at midnight on Sept 15,

Mexicans shout the Grito (lead by President)

Día de Todos los Santos (Nov 01) & Día de los Muertos (Nov 02)

- All Saints‘ Day (Nov 01) for dead children (angelitos)

- All Souls‘ Day (Nov 02) return of the deceased adults

- Aztec festival in Jul/Aug (queen of the underworld Mictecacíhuatl)

- sweet bread, sugar canes and chocolate in various shapes (skulls, coffins, etc.), skeleton toy dolls, puppets

- whole meals (favorite food and drinks) for deceased family member

- Candles to light up their way- Gravestones decorated with special flower

bouquets only for this occasion- All-night vigil (traditionally) with church bells

ringing- Best in: Oaxaca, Pátzcuaro

Día de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Dec 12)- La Morena, la Indita- Story behind belief: the Virgin of Guadalupe

appeared to Juan Diego (indegenous Indian) on Dec 09, 1531

- he has to convince the Bishop Juan de Zumarraga to build a church on top of the Hill of Tepeyac

- the Bishop did not believe the words of the newly baptized Christian

- Virgin Mary told him to pick flowers on top of the hill (in December)

- Juan Diego used his coat collecting them – where an image of the Virgin appeared to the Bishop

- first procession 2 weeks later – Hernán Cortés participated

- Today: fiesta on the Plaza with music and dance, crafts market, altars, food, parades/rodeos/bullfights (regional), etc.

la

trivia GRANDE

Kara-Jane Schupferin association with ijgd

Mexico 2011Zyklus A – Vorbereitungsseminar II – Asien/Lateinamerika

special thanks to: Benni & Kathi

Indication of source/list of references

Literature- ADAC Reiseführer Mexiko- 1,000 Places to see before you

die- Lonely Planet Mexico- Columbus Tourist Attractions &

Events of the World- Komet Mexiko- 100 Städte der Welt- Traumziele- Traumstraßen

World wide web- www.magisches-mexiko.com- www.sectur.gob.mx- www.visitmexico.com- www.panamrace.com- www.mexonline.com- www.wikipedia.org

Images- www.etsy.com- www.photobucket.com- www.mexicovacationtravels.com- www.flickr.com- www.veranstaltungsdienst.de- www.imdb.com- www.123rf.com- www.mex.homestead.com- www.popartmachine.com- www.cookingwithjomama.com- www.citypictures.org- www.mapoftheunitedstates.wordpress.com- www.milebymile.com