As Bob Dylan wrote, you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind is blows. May is upon us and I can reasonably predict it’s going to be a scorcher.
Will the heat be worse than last year? Will lakeside see sudden cloudbursts every now and again? Who knows. But for sure the thermometer will soar and the week ahead will be chock-a-block with local festivities to distract us from typical climatic discomforts.
Sunday, May 1, is Día del Trabajo — Labor Day, which means that no one works on that date.
On Tuesday, May 3, local folks celebrate Día de la Cruz — Day of the Holy Cross. Construction workers spend the day partying hard at their work sites. They’ll start the day by raising brightly decorated crosses at the apex of the structures-in-progress, then carry on with feasting, booze guzzling, music and a constant barrage of booming cohetes (rockets).
Devout Catholics trek to crosses erected at street corners and hillside points to trim them with paper flowers and streamers and raise prayers to the Almighty.
Neighbors in Ajijic’s westend Barrio de Guadalupe and north side Barrio de San Sebastian mark the occasion with an age-old custom known as levantando la cruz — something akin to the North American Indian potlatch. It involves setting up doorstep shrines with a cross as the centerpiece and laden candles, flowers, seasonal fruits and assorted pantry staples.
A common element is a stack of freshly baked tachihual breads topped with white icing and a sprinkling of bright red sugar. The most elaborate displays may include bottles of tequila and homemade cordials, non-edible goods such as rolls of toilet tissue and cleaning products, and perhaps a torito-a bamboo and papier maché contraption shaped like a bull and studded with firecrackers.
Once evening falls, villagers will wander the streets to socialize as they view the altars. According to custom, anyone who wishes can make dibs on one of the displays and return at the end of the night to collect all its contents to replenish the household larder. The loot is all free for the taking in return for a pledge to return the favor the following year with equal or greater bounty than that received. The toritos are ignited and carried at full charge among the crowds to cap off the night.
Thursday, Cinco de Mayo (May 5), is the date the whole nation commemorates Mexico’s victory over French invaders in the 1862 Battle of Puebla. It’s commonly a big deal for Mexican immigrant communities living north of the border. Here, not so much.
The mother of all Mexican holidays is Diá de las Madres, invariably celebrated on Tuesday, May 10. Moms are feted with early morning seranades, family gatherings or dining out, gifts and school festivals. Teachers are honored on May 15, Día del Maestro, while upper level students get their annual fiesta day on May 23.
By coincidence or design, it turns out that calling off daily routines for all these festivities is as good a way as any to beat the sweltering heat.
May is also the perfect time of year to stay refreshed on a diet of mangos, melons and other seasonal fruits, available now in abundance at the best market prices.
If you want to get in the groove, remember it’s the month to just kick back, crank up fans, hang up the hammock, and keep cool with a steady supply of iced tea or frosty margaritas. Soon enough summer rains will return to bring down temperatures and revive landscape greenery.