Hi folks.
A lot’s been going on since I last wrote. I went for a fun trip to the coast and camping but you’ll have to wait to hear about that until the next blog. Or e-mail me or something. Or just stay posted for pictures on the facebook in the next couple of weeks. The reason I’m not going to write about vacation is because I would like first to write about this year’s Mother’s Day while it is still relevant. Actually, it may not be relevant at this point. But regardless, I would like to write about the wonderful holiday of Mother’s Day.
You may not know this, but Mother’s Day is an international holiday and has been celebrated in Peru since 1924. But the celebration is a little bit different here than we are used to in the United States.
Let’s start with what we’re used to encountering on Mother’s Day. If a mother in America is lucky, she will wake up on Mother’s Day morning to maybe some breakfast in bed cooked by her children (under the careful watch of their dad to avoid that memorable Mother’s Day kitchen fire) and will then pass the day spending quality time with her family. Sometimes they get more than that breakfast and are given flowers, a nice card, a small gift of chocolate or even a large gift to a spa. If you’re my mom (hi mom!), you got treated to, or lovingly put up with, the Mother’s Day musical at the First United Methodist Church of Palatine. But that is the extent of the holiday. It is generally a private family event with little tokens of affection and esteem and acts of love like cooking breakfast. The day is low-key and lovely.
You are probably guessing by now, that the Peruvian Mother’s Day is anything but low-key. I don’t know if I’ve written about it before but Peruvian parties are a little bit more um – intense than our own. Often lasting for days with the drinking starting early in the morning, when Peruvians throw a party, they THROW A PARTY. So I suppose, in relation to other Peruvian parties, Mother’s Day is actually pretty low-key. But, in comparison to my usual Mother’s Day, it is quite an event.
It started similarly; my host sister and I made a special juice for my host mom and I made her a card to say thank you for being my adoptive mom. But then things turned a little different. I went out to see what was going on at 8:30 in the morning and was offered a beer from a mom who was celebrating her day. I respectfully declined feeling that it was a little too early in the morning for beer. But what were the children doing for their moms’ day?
The week before, each class had prepared large posters about mother’s day and submitted them for the school’s contest. I was drafted to be a judge and helped choose the winners to be displayed that Sunday in the plaza.
Come Sunday morning, the kids were running around selling popcorn and ice cream and preparing for the show they would put on in the plaza. Around 11:00, they show began. Each class had prepared either a dance, poetry, or a little skit.
The moms, meanwhile, watched from the side and enjoyed some party food. Occasionally, a few would be invited to participate in silly eating or balloon popping contests and would hold raffles for mother’s day gift baskets put together by the students. I, myself, bought a raffle ticket to try to win a sheep. I don’t know what I would have done with it had I won, but I was glad to support the fundraising efforts of the high school students. When the show was over, the moms were treated by the municipality to lunch. ALL of the moms in the town were served a plate of Pachamanca. I don’t know if I’ve written about this meal yet (it probably deserves its own blog) but let’s explain it here by saying simply that it’s the picnic food of Peru. Upon receiving their plate piled high with chicken, broad beans, potatoes and sweet potatoes, the moms also received their gift bag from the municipality.
Later in the afternoon, the moms formed their teams and got the volleyball tournament. Everyone kept asking me why I wasn’t playing and I had to explain that I wasn’t a mother. This sometimes prompted the response, “Oh, you’re not a mom yet?” or “Oh, you’re still not a mom?” I suppose this is understandable considering that I am older than a few of the moms who were out on that volleyball court. And when the tournament was over, that was the end of the day.
So. A little different. Mother’s Day in Peru is a big deal. The municipality is the one giving the gifts and preparing the special meal. The school is responsible for the day’s entertainment and the kids participate in it. It is a public holiday and an outlet for the moms to get together with each other and celebrate among each other their motherhood rather than being doted upon by their families all day. Still, both ways, demonstrate our love for our mothers. Since I’m “still not a mother,” I don’t think I know which I would prefer. What do you say moms?
Blessings.
