No Wrong Turns: Easter in Mexico….No Mini Eggs Here

by Kelsey Mulyk on

You won’t find any pastel colored eggs, chocolates or fuzzy white rabbits in Mexico during Easter. In fact, there isn’t a speck of the materialistic, Cadbury-bunny-laced Easter we have come to know and love at home. And, believe me, I looked for those addictive Mini Eggs everywhere.

Mexicans are predominantly Catholic and Holy Week, or “Semana Santa” as it is known here, is the most important religious holiday of the year. Kids get the week before and after Easter Sunday off and it is a time for family and church. These two weeks off are equivalent to our Spring Break so travelers can expect beaches and hotels to be crowded…make your reservations early.

Tom and I caught a little bit of the celebration on Good Friday (Viernes Santo). The devout congregate in groups all over the city, each outfitted with a large cross. These groups walk throughout the neighborhoods towards the church, stopping at homes to perform prayers and blessings. Eventually all the groups meet at the church for the service. In other parts of the country, the crucifixion is reenacted and passion plays are performed. One of the biggest celebrations is held in Iztapalapa, just south of Mexico City.

“Sabado de Gloria”, Holy Saturday, tells the story of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. Papier mache Judases are created and then burned or destroyed as part of the ceremony. The service we attended was not so inclined and instead included readings by from both the Mexican and English community. People just kept piling in and eventually all the seats were taken leaving latecomers standing in the aisles. Women were hanging onto restless children, statues of the Virgen de Guadalupe were clutched tightly in hand, thousands of candles were lit and re-lit, bottles of water were raised for blessing and children, trussed up in their best clothes, were baptized and welcomed as members to the Catholic church. The evening ended with a shower of bright fireworks that could be seen from all over town.

Two words of advice on attending a church service:

Many Mexicans turn up casually dressed, but it is wise to be respectful and dress appropriately. Women should have their shoulders covered and men should wear a nice shirt and pants.

It is worth bringing your own candle so you can participate in the service. A ton of candles are lit during this event…it is like one big bonfire waiting to happen, so make sure you know where the closest exit is or sit near someone with a big bottle of water.

On Easter Sunday, Domingo de Pascua, Mexicans attend Mass and then spend the rest of the day enjoying the company of family and friends, sadly for me, it is not filled with bunny trails or chocolates either, sigh.
Anyone want to send some Mini Eggs my way?

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“No Wrong Turns” chronicles Kelsey and her husband’s road trip — in real time — from Canada to the southern tip of South America in their trusty red VW Golf named Marlin.

GADLING TAKE 5: Week of 3-21-2008

by Catherine Bodry on

Did you have a happy St. Patrick’s Day? While I didn’t get in to any shenanigans (for once, it seems), I was able to have a few pints with friends up in Anchorage. Though they weren’t perfectly-poured Guinnesses, they were locally brewed and likely tasted as good as Guinness in Ireland tastes. But there’s plenty of non-St. Paddy’s Day news this week at Gadling:

And here are some more fun posts to set your weekend off right: Aaron’s post on headlines from North Korea still makes me laugh; I’m curiously following the fate of squat toilets in Beijing (because I love squat toilets and think everyone should try them — I know, I’m a freak); and an Australian put his entire life on eBay.

Sarkozy wants French cuisine on UNESCO World Heritage list

by Anna Brones on

We write a lot about UNESCO World Heritage sites here at Gadling, so I was amused to find out that French President Nicolas Sarkozy is attempting to get French food on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Basically Sarkozy wants to preserve the traditions of French cuisine; in his opinion the UN should protect the right way to prepare classic regional French dishes like foie gras, tarte aux pommes and soufflé.

“We have the best gastronomy in the world — at least from our point of view. We want it to be recognized among world heritage,” Sarkozy said at last month’s Salon de l’Agriculture — the same place that he flipped out and swore at someone.

Sarkozy’s proposal to include la cuisine française as part of UNESCO’s World Heritage list is in response to a two year movement by French chefs who fear that traditional French cuisine is being threatened by the global food industry. I don’t think anyone would dare argue that French cuisine isn’t an integral part of the country’s culture, but France isn’t alone. What about Indian curry, Spanish paella and or German bratwurst? Why should France be the only one to deserve culinary protection?

Not all Frenchies agree with their president however. A food critic at Le Figaro said if French cuisine were to be listed, “opening the door of a restaurant, making a soufflé rise, shelling an oyster, will become part of cultural activity like going to sleep at the opera, yawning at the theater or slumping over James Joyce’s Ulysses.” Interesting.

Churches in Saudi Arabia?

by Abha Malpani on

Cultural changes in Saudi Arabia have been a frequent topic on Gadling. We’ve talked about advancements such as: Saudi women being allowed to drive, controversial books being permitted distribution, bans on photography being lifted, and restrictions such as men imprisoned for flirting and the banning of red roses for Valentines day.

The latest, and what might be the most significant cultural change in the works is the possibility of building churches in the country. According to the BBC, the talks are the result of Saudi King Abdullah’s meeting with the Pope last November. Allowing churches to be built would give 1.5 million Christians who live there a place to worship — something that they can do only privately at the moment. The last Christian priest was expelled from the kingdom in 1985.

These talks were spurred after Doha allowed for a Catholic church to be built where the first mass was held earlier this year, attended by 15,000 people. Doha has now given the go ahead for Anglican, Orthodox and Coptic churches to be built.

According to the UK Times: “Saudi Arabia adheres to a hard-line Wahhabi version of Sunni Islam and is home to Mecca and Medina, the most holy sites of the religion — no faith other than Islam may be practiced.” If churches do come around to being built in the kingdom, it will be a huge feat in Muslim-Christian relations.

Here is to Arthur C. Clarke. Here is to Sri Lanka.

by Iva Skoch on

I just read that Arthur C. Clarke died in Sri Lanka at the age of 90. He was, no doubt, one of the coolest guys out there. Not only was he a great writer, but he was a pioneer traveler, too.

Although he was British, he moved to Sri Lanka some 50 years ago because “he loved diving.” Honestly, how many 90-year-olds do you know today who could say that?

The photo is of Kirinda, Sri Lanka, a place Clarke put on the map when he used it as his base for his diving exploration in order to write his book ‘The Treasure of the Reef’. A particularly unique feature of the Great Basses is the light-house that was actually constructed on the reef in 1860, according to EcoTeam Sri Lanka.

Times online writes that “Clarke first visited Colombo, Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon) in December 1954. He moved there in 1956 and lived there ever since, pursuing an enthusiasm for underwater exploration along that coast and on the Great Barrier Reef. His fascination with diving led to him meeting his wife Marilyn Mayfield, whom he divorced ten years later. In 1998, his lifetime work was recognized when he was honored with a knighthood – formally conferred by Prince Charles in Sri Lanka two years later.”

Marking his “90th orbit of the Sun” in December, the author said that he did not feel “a day over 89” and made three birthday wishes: for ET to call, for man to kick his oil habit and for peace in Sri Lanka. Arthur, you are cool!