shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13033
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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mexican kids birthday parties
One of the most difficult things I had to do while raising a Mexican daughter was give a birthday party. Kids birthday parties are a very important
social event here and very traditional...(meaning you shouldn?t deviate from the set rules) I had great parties when I was a kid, very unique and
different each time...sometimes a pool party, bowling party, or at a fun kids restaurant, or beach party etc. with lots of fun and silly games. Well,
Mexican parties are very structured and so I thought I?d let you in on what they are like in case you get invited to one or heaven forbid....have to
host one! They take alot of planning.
The biggest difference is that you don?t just invite the child?s school pals. You have to invite everyone from school, the block, relatives etc. and
when you invite a child, all their siblings usually come too as well as the mother. So you have dress up and put on makeup. There is usually a theme
for the party, like Cinderella, Spiderman, the Hulk, Little Mermaid etc. and all the decorations reflect the theme, such as the cake, the birthday
child?s costume, the party grab bags, the pi?ata, tablecloth etc. This was my nephew?s soccer party cake and he had the cutest uniform.
First you have to deliver the invitations a week or few days before the party. Then you have to have a huge cake made and get tons of food ready. Most
people put up a big beer tent and rent tables and chairs for everyone. Many will rent a hall even for a one year old?s party. You must decorate with
balloons and lots of them for the kids to play with laying around.
As the guests arrive, they sit down and are served a plate of crema con totopos (tortilla chips and a dip made usually of seafood or wieners) and
soda. The kids race around while the moms sit and gossip. Any men that may be there, dad and uncles etc. are usually around the back or side of the
house drinking beer and talking about fishing.
Then the real food gets served which is some traditional dish like pozole, menudo, tamales, birria etc. along with mashed beans and macaroni salad and
more soda. Lots of disposable plates and glasses!
Then the highlight of the party is the smashing and bashing of the pi?ata! First you get a big group photo of everyone, then the birthday kid with the
pi?ata then the kids form a line from the smallest to the biggest (they are usually very good at this). The pi?ata is strung from the roof to a car
or something high so it can be jerked up on a rope so it lasts longer. The birthday kid takes the first whack with the palo (stick) for a photograph
but hands it off to the smallest kid that can stand up. There is a song that goes with all of this too and clapping and cheering of course. Each child
takes their turn trying to hit is as the two men holding the rope raise and lower it. Sometimes if they are big kids, they are blindfolded which makes
it dangerous for those around as they wildly swing that stick around. Inevitably, somebody always gets hit! It?s important to keep the area clear of
kids particularly if candy drops out a little at a time, they want to dive in and get it. So it should last till everyone has had a turn then it can
be smashed by someone and all the candy falls out and there is a mad dash for it where lots of kids get trampled and are sure to cry.
All the kids stash their candy and drink more pop and run around some more till it?s time for cake. The photos are taken of the cake cutting. Then
everyone yells...MORDIDA, MORDIDA...and the birthday girl has to take a bite out of the cake and when she goes to bite it, someone pushes her face
into it...the idea is to get cake all over their face. This was a disaster for my daughter and she cried like crazy and ran into her room which none
of the kids could understand as getting your face shoved in the cake is tradition! Then it is served with jello instead of ice cream. Sometimes the
gifts are opened as well and every gift is shown around.
Then when the kids are all glassy eyed from so much sugar, the ladies are gossiped out and the beer is gone, the grab bags are handed out and it?s
time to go home. (Except the men usually go for more beer) (I have heard lots of gossip about what so and so put in their grab bags so make sure you
put something impressive in there.) The reason for the huge cake is lots of guests will ask to take some home for their husband or sick kid.
[img]grab bag.jpg[/img]
Usually some family members stay behind and you begin the job of cleaning up all the plastic junk, spilled pop, candy wrappers and dropped cake and
Jell-O. Then and only then can mom sneak a drink and reflect on a job well done!
TIPS TO ENJOY THE PARTY MORE
Dress up as everyone will be checking out your duds
Wrap the gift very nicely with a fancy bow
Go with a friend so you will have someone to talk to or
Sit beside someone you like
Have a c-cktail before you go
[img]soccer cake.jpg[/img]
I had awesome pictures to go with this and can't figure out how to get them in here!
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SiReNiTa
Special Correspondent
Posts: 881
Registered: 5-5-2006
Location: Ensenada, B.C.S.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Savoring life while saving the world!
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moooooooooooooom why did you have to mention the face in the cake...i mean i was suprised i didn't know that was going to happen...it kind of
hurt...nose to table...ouch....anyway check you u2u
Live life as well as you can,
don\'t regret the things that once made you smile,
learn from your mistakes,
and thank God for every second he gives you upon this earth.
Visit me at
Http://BajaScents.Scentsy.com.mx
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Bruce R Leech
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6796
Registered: 9-20-2004
Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
Member Is Offline
Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
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lots of the poorer families here in mulege will have only a small cake and close friends and family with no pi?ata I enjoy these allot also they
always do something and it is fun.
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
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SiReNiTa
Special Correspondent
Posts: 881
Registered: 5-5-2006
Location: Ensenada, B.C.S.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Savoring life while saving the world!
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i like small party's and big party's...but what i do not enjoy is when i want to talk to my mom and she will not connect..sheesh mom...i know your
online...haha...can you call me at my aunts tomorrow please...i nedd to ask you something
love ya!
Live life as well as you can,
don\'t regret the things that once made you smile,
learn from your mistakes,
and thank God for every second he gives you upon this earth.
Visit me at
Http://BajaScents.Scentsy.com.mx
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Bruce R Leech
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6796
Registered: 9-20-2004
Location: Ensenada formerly Mulege
Member Is Offline
Mood: A lot cooler than Mulege
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send her a u2u
Bruce R Leech
Ensenada
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shari
Select Nomad
Posts: 13033
Registered: 3-10-2006
Location: bahia asuncion, baja sur
Member Is Offline
Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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just to let ya know, the poor fishing families save for their parties and relatives help out with the food and cooperate to buy everything. Oh and
sirena, good to send a U2, I read that but haven't connected to msn
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SiReNiTa
Special Correspondent
Posts: 881
Registered: 5-5-2006
Location: Ensenada, B.C.S.
Member Is Offline
Mood: Savoring life while saving the world!
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yeah i can tell...sheesh...my mom always has to say stuff about me on bad moments...like the cake on the face stuff...mhm
Live life as well as you can,
don\'t regret the things that once made you smile,
learn from your mistakes,
and thank God for every second he gives you upon this earth.
Visit me at
Http://BajaScents.Scentsy.com.mx
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villadelfin
Nomad
Posts: 273
Registered: 4-8-2006
Location: La Paz
Member Is Offline
Mood: toasted and buttered
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Shari you need to use an image hosting service to make pictures appear.
What it does is , the url or address inside the[img][/img]brackets tells it to go to that site, get the picture, and display it. If it wasn't done
that way, Doug's computer would overload and nobody'd get nothing.
| Quote: | [img]soccer cake.jpg[/img
I had awesome pictures to go with this and can't figure out how to get them in here! |
edited for formatting error, sorry
[Edited on 6-5-2006 by villadelfin]
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burro bob
Nomad
Posts: 264
Registered: 3-15-2004
Location: Poblado del Ejido Plan National Agrario
Member Is Offline
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What no brinkolina at your birthday parties.
Did you celebrate on your daughters actual birthday or save the party for the weekend? It seems on some saturdays as I drive through the back streets
of San Felipe I can see an inflated playgroud on every block. and gangs of kids moving from one party to the next.
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flyfishinPam
Super Nomad
Posts: 1727
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Loreto, BCS
Member Is Offline
Mood: gone fishin'
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On my daughter's first birthday I made the mistake of putting chocolate coins in the pinata. All that came out were the wrappers and the chocolate
exploded into microscopic pieces and went everywhere! Then I wised up and after becoming disgusted with pinatas and too much candy for the kids, for
her second birthday I did the brincolin, pizzas and a pinata filled with toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes and small plastic animals! The mothers said
where's the candy? I said there isn't any! The kids will eat pizza and cake, jump themselves to exhaustion then sleep like babies when they get
home. Works great!
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