A DAY OF THANKS-GIVING

We just celebrated our first Thanksgiving in Mexico!  We were blessed to be invited to our friend Vidette’s house for an afternoon meal and celebration.   Then we invited a different group of friends over on Saturday evening to celebrate again.

Gringo friends invited Mexican friends to join in their celebrations here.  We were invited to a Mexican home though our plans were already made by then.  Maybe next year.  There were plenty of grocery stores and restaurants catering to gringo tastes.  Friends who joined our Saturday celebration even came across fresh (?) cranberries!  Thanks for sharing those with us Len and Diane.  After reading several sources about the meaning and customs of Thanksgiving in México, the following sums up what I found.

Thanksgiving has become a “crossover” holiday.  The number of gringos in Mexico is rising – some statistics say it’s up to a million now – as well as the number of Mexicans returning from years in the United States.  The Thanksgiving holiday arrives a few days after Revolution Day (Dia de la Revolucion), commemorating the 10-year Mexican Revolution which began on November 20, 1910. (See Wikipedia “Revolution Day” for an excellent explanation of this significant holiday.)  Though it is not a national holiday, still a work day, for Mexicans it is another time to spend quality time with friends and family.

Many of the dishes so familiar to us for this special day may very well have had Mexican beginnings.  It is said that the Mexican wild turkey was exported to England, then reintroduced to the US in its domesticated state.  Corn (the Mexican people sometimes call themselves ‘hombres del maíz’; literally: men of corn), pumpkin, vanilla, and chocolate were all introduced from Mexico.

Last year we witnessed our Mexican neighbors setting out a feast on a long dinner table in our small street.  This was several days after Thanksgiving and we had only been here 2 or 3 weeks.  Family gathered all around with music and laughter going well into the night.  I have no idea what food they served but some families here have traditions of chorizo pumpkin soup, candied pumpkin or sweet potato, fruit and nut bread pudding, mango or chile-cranberry or kumquat salsa, stuffed pork, turkey served with green mole and chipotle peppers, guacamole, tortillas and/or tamales.  Depending, of course, on your budget, your location, and your taste.

Thanksgiving is celebrated across various cultures and countries across the world.  In Mexico, the celebration of Thanksgiving is gaining ground and is often celebrated on a more religious and spiritual note.  It is safe to say that the proud and humble Mexican people celebrate everything around them, every day of their lives.  And why not?  We can take a lesson: these difficult times create all the more need for a night devoted to family, friends, food, and a chance to give thanks for it all.  Buen Provecho!  

With this final photo I offer a story of sharing and gratitude for this recent day of Thanks-Giving.  People-watching on the malecón (boardwalk) in Chapala one day last year I saw a crippled old man carrying a checkered bag.  Weak, frail, walking slowly along with his cane, he passed a sardine vendor who, without hesitation, held out a tray of food to him.  The frail little man made a gesture indicating he wanted to pay but the vendor waved him on.  Touched, the old man man left with a faint smile of gratitude.

As for me, I find much to be grateful for this year, though days of fatigue and homesickness still appear more often than I wish.  Ben and I have gathered a fine group of folks we already call friends here in Ajijic.  Friends from the States have visited and now are realizing our landline is a free call to check on us.  (Leave a message if we don’t pick up.)  We receive regular photos updating us on our 10 month old granddaughter Hazie’s weekly progress – thank God for FaceTime!  We have seen some gorgeous places in Mexico and have come to love many of the Mexican people.  We are well fed, warm, safe, and content.  And I figured out enough about the new WordPress update to get this blog out to you, if a little late.  So for this year, and every day of the year, Feliz Días de Acción de Gracias!