Christmas in Chiapas

Its a bit weird to realize that people are celebrating christmas all around the world with different traditions and climates, and I hate to be ethnocentric, but I like my good old american christmas best. I miss the snow and the cold most of all. Now, I know it doesn´t always snow on Christmas, but at least in Kentucky it snows sometime close to Christmas. Something inside me still does not believe Christmas is coming, and its December 16th.

Speaking of this, I told someone in spanish literally ´christmas is coming´and they thought this was the most bizarre statement. What do you mean, its ´coming´? as if they future were running towards us? Is it that we are going to Christmas or that Christmas is coming to us???!!! And here we encounter the bizarre secret ideas that our language reveals...they way we think about time...hurry! its coming! its inevitable! ITS COMING!!! AHHHHH!

haha. okay but there are a few reasons why it doesnt feel like Christmas. The main one has to do with cold. No Christmas sweaters to be seen, no scarves, no icy streets, no snow, no frosty windsheilds. But there are other reasons as well. For example, there is no mall santa. What, I ask, is Christmas without a mall santa molester type? The 4 ft tall robotic gyrating santa down in front of the shoe store dancing to merengue music just doesnt cut it for me. Not creepy enough. Okay, i won´t lie, its pretty creepy, he does have painted eyes.

There are also not hoards of psychotic people rushing the malls. Its a bit weird, at the mall its just like business as usual.

Where ever you go, you can find christmas decorations, christmas movies, sometimes christmas music in department stores and wal mart...but theres a little something of the commercial christmas gone. For example, if you were to go to starbucks (there isn´t one) there would be no peppermint christmas mocha or whatever. There is just coffee per usual. No one is changing their menus to have gingerbread spice tea, and actually i havent even seen a bakery making anything resembling christmas cookies. There is one aisle at the store with candy, wreaths, ornaments, etc, and thats it. Its not too flamboyant.

On the other hand, here the boulevard is decorated for blocks and blocks with lights and wreaths and giants shimmering candles. People decorate their houses with beautiful little lights and truckloads of poinsettas, because poinsettas are from mexico, in case you didnt know. i didnt. A few days ago everyone was in their houses for the Day of the Virgen of Guadalupe singing catholic hymns and even celebrating and dancing in the streets, eating strawberrys and cream, churros, and loads of mexican snack-meals, like quesadillas, huaraches, sopes, etc. For a few days people were all dressed in virgen of guadalupe tshirts, running with torches for retribution of their sins, being followed by their church´s pick up truck full of eager participates ready to grab the torch and atone.

anyway, that said, i can´t wait to come home for a bit and celebrate christmas. i miss home.

i got a job here, and i start jan 8th. should be good. more about that later....

paz!