Jocelyn Loza
Feliz Día de las Madres.
It’s a day when we honor and celebrate that special bond of motherhood and love. Not just our own mothers, but all women who are mothers and maternal figures. Did you know that Mother's Day, El Día de la Madre, is celebrated on different months of the year for Latinos?
Here in the U.S. (including Hawaii & Puerto Rico), we celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday of May. The actual date varies (this year it’s May 13), but it’s always on that second Sunday.
We aren't alone, several Latin American countries also observe Mother’s Day on May’s second Sunday.
Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Curaçao, Ecuador, Honduras, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
But did you know Mexico, El Salvador and Guatemala celebrate on May 10th? I grew up observing Mother’s Day twice each May. In addition to the U.S. holiday, we also observed it on May 10th, which is the traditional Mother’s Day in El Salvador. Here's how. Puerto Rican mother and Salvadoran father. That's how.
Other Latin American countries like Paraguay celebrate on May 15th, Bolivia on May 27th, Nicaragua on May 30th, and Dominican Republican the last Sunday in May except if the day falls on Pentecost Sunday, in which case Mother’s Day will be celebrated on the first Sunday of June.
Let’s not forget Costa Rica which celebrates on August 15th, Argentina the third Sunday in October and finally, Panama on December 8th.
You can see how much this holiday can vary. We understand that not all Latina mothers are created equally (that's a good thing). Regardless of acculturation and how much a part of the U.S. multicultural audience we may be, we continue to honor family and cultura (culture).
Resource: http://www.holidays.net/mother/mothers_day_global.htm
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| Jocelyn Loza can be reached at jaloza14@gmail.com |