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October 1 was Children’s Day in Guatemala. While we’ve been battling a bug here in our home and didn’t do much to celebrate, it’s definitely worth a mention, even if it is somewhat belated. In essence, the purpose of this holiday is to honor children and really, who better to celebrate than the little ones who light our lives in so many amazing ways? That said, Guatemala does a great job at celebrating and honoring its children. With “clowns, mimes, chorus concerts and music at different stages“, how could one not feel celebratory? Mayan Families, a charitable organization I’ve mentioned in past entries, traditionally tries to celebrate with a pinata and cake. However, due to this year’s food shortage crisis, their goal was to provide a child with a bag of corn and several pounds of beans to take home to their families. Regardless of the lack of cake and missing pinata, the message of honoring the country’s children remains steadfast. One of the Mayan Familes employees is seen here, delivering small toys, pencils, toothbrushes and even a stuffed monkey for the Children’s Day raffle; these items served as prizes for the games held in front of the historic Catholic church in Panajachel.
However, it’s important to note that the celebratory mood should not cease just because October 1 has passed. October is also Hispanic Heritage Month. Hispanic Heritage Month actually runs from September 15 through October 15, but is generally and commonly celebrated during the month of October. In short, Hispanic Heritage Month serves two main purposes. First, it honors the contributions of Hispanic Americans to the United States; second, it serves to celebrate Hispanic heritage and culture. The U.S. Department of State has a very informative page about Guatemala which discusses Guatemala’s chief export contributions to the U.S.; it mentions that most of Guatemala’s manufacturing consists of “light assembly and food processing, geared to the domestic, U.S., and Central American markets. Over the past several years, tourism and exports of textiles, apparel, and nontraditional agricultural products such as winter vegetables, fruit, and cut flowers have boomed, while more traditional exports such as sugar, bananas, and coffee continue to represent a large share of the export market.” Yet these contributions to our everyday living merely touch the very tip of the iceberg. More information regarding additional contributions can be found here; also worthy of note is President Obama’s Presidential Proclamation for National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Even though it ends in just over a week, it’s not too late to find several Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations in your area. Many large cities offer parades, festivals, and other celebrations honoring this great month; this information can be located through a quick search of your state’s offerings via Google. A quick search of Illinois pulled up quite a handful of events during the time frame of September 15 all the way through October 15. Here’s to hoping my family can get out and take part in the festivities! If you’re celebrating or have celebrated, I’d love to hear of festivities in which you took (or are taking) part and encourage your comments here or via email: courtneyo@adoptionblogs.com. ¡Gracias!
