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As tommorow is Cinco de Mayo (the fifth of May) I thought I would write a bit about adoptions from Mexico and ways to keep the Mexican traditions in your home.
Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of a battle that Mexico won against the French. This holiday is very popular to celebrate in California, where I once lived, and I have carried on the tradition and celebrate it with my family. It is a good way to teach your kids some culture while having fun doing it.
If you have adopted a child from Mexico or are in the process you may want to have a fiesta of your own tommorow or this weekend. This would be an easy way of keeping your child and family in touch with his/her culture.
We had a taco bar for an easy meal. Almost everyone likes tacos, plus with so many toppings, even the kiddos will dig in and customize their food. The kids made a sombrero out of a small paper plate and a cup. They simply glued them together and then glued little, colorful puff balls to decorate. Of course a pinata was a must and the I filled it with some Mexican treats I found at a authentic store in the big city. At this store I also bought some taco meat from a friendly butcher who helped me practice my lapsed Spanish.
A trip to the dollar store helped me with some decorations, including large sombreros that I had people wear for pictures.
I had some Mexican blankets and borrowed more from my mom, and they made nice table clothes.
For music, we simply found a cable music channel that featured Latin music. Very easy and very fun!
Other holidays to celebrate can be found on this site.
Some adoption facts on Mexico:
In 2008 there were 105 adoptions from Mexico to the United States. That number is down from 1998 when there were 167. Adoptions from Mexico are considered “complex” according to the U.S. State Department website listed below. They are a Hague country and comply with Hague regulations.
More sources include:
Mexico @ Adoption.com | Mexican Overview | U.S. State Department
I would love to hear fun ways you keep the Mexican culture and traditions strong in your family!
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We have three copies of the children’s book Ten Days and Nine Nights by Yumi Heo to give away! Please visit our giveaway post to enter!
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Photo Credit: MandyW 2009
