Feliz Dia de Las Madres!

May 30^th is Mother’s Day in Nicaragua! Here, Mother’s Day is a national holiday with lots of traditions, celebrations, travelling, roses, cake, and presents. If your mother is still living you wear red and if your mother has passed you wear white. My host family had a big party. My host grandparents came into town from Rio Blanco that is a 7 hour drive away. They came by bus and stayed with us for 4 days. On one of those days, all of their children and many of their grandchildren came over to our house for a party. My host mom’s sister surprised us and brought a live band. The front yard turned into a parking lot, concert stage, play ground and restaurant.  There were about 35 people over at our house! It was so much fun and definitely a great way to spend a day off of work for Mother’s Day.

Roses and “I love you” balloons are being sold on every street corner. People everywhere are getting into taxi’s with cakes in hand. Every other commercial in the TV was about Mother’s Day. Lots of red and white and music everywhere.  Mothers are really important in the Nicaraguan culture and are the head of every family. Men often leave their wives when they get pregnant and so women are left to raise and support the family. Sibilings are close and children are close to their mothers. There is no school on Mother's Day and people everywhere travel to spend time with their mother. The cemeteries are well decorated that day and homes are full of family. It is a joyful day and a wonderful holiday to remember all that mothers do for us. Thank you moms for all that you do!

Love,

Ayla Landry

“All men and women are born, live suffer and die; what distinguishes us one from another is our dreams, whether they be dreams about worldly or unworldly things, and what we do to make them come about... We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time and conditions of our death. But within this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we live.” 

~Joseph Epstein