February 2 is a big holy day in Mexico, el Día de la Candelaria, celebrated 40 days after Christmas. There are several Masses today to which people bring special dolls dressed as los Niños Dios to church to be blessed along with candles and seeds.The people have been getting these dolls prepared for several days, bringing them to the market where they outfit the dolls with clothes, flowers, crowns, hats, shoes, special chairs, etc. for presentation in the temple. There are many different outfits to choose from, each significant to the church, but you will also see the dolls dressed as doctors, nurses, or soccer players. The dolls are available in many different sizes. It is common to see little children with small dolls and adults with larger dolls.
Tonight there are fiestas in homes with tamales, atole and hot chocolate. The party is hosted by the person who found a tiny plastic Jesus in her piece of the Rosca (special bread shaped as a ring) served on January 6. My neighbor is hosting a tamaliza for us tonight.
After the party, el Niño Jesus is placed in a special place in the house where it remains until the following Christmas when it is placed in the manger.
This marks the end of the Christmas season and tomorrow all the poinsettias will be removed from the Zócalo.
On February 2 in south-central Wisconsin, Jimmy the Groundhog predicted an early spring via a stuffed stand-in because he (the real groundhog) and his handler were snowed in. We got 15 inches of snow! I'm sure you heard about the cars stranded on Lakeshore Drive.
ReplyDeleteThat is horrid! It was much better watching people bringing their dolls to church.
ReplyDeleteSeñora ,
ReplyDeleteComo Mexicanos el Niño Dios no es un simple "mono" . It is a statue representing Our Lord Jesus Christ. Calling it a doll is offensive .