ISLAND NEWS |
The Cozumel Living team news for you First let us wish you and your families and wonderful and safe holiday season. Susana and Cristina are attending courses to become an AMPI (Mexican Board of Realtors associated with NAR in the USA) certified Realtors. Our Nancy has now returned from a one month vacation in Moscow, Russia and Bali, Indonesia. I would like to congratulate Bill & Nancy as they got married on 11/11/11. Nancy also recently became a great grandmother on 11/18/1, congrats Nancy!! Hurricane Season is officially over and we dodged a close call this year with Hurricane Rina. The hurricane gods were with us when it turned from a Category 3 and into a tropical depression. Ironman this was a great success with 14 Cozumeleños and
2325 registered athletes, 1768 men and 557 women. The youngest male competitor was 19 and youngest female was 21. There was also one competitor that was 74 years old!!! The winner in the female category was Simone Benz of Switzerland
and from the winner from the males was Michaell Lovato of the US, congratulations Iron men & Iron women.
TRASHY LITTLE GROUP The Trashy Little group focused their November efforts along Melgar to clean up ahead of this year’s fantastic Ironman event. On November 20th, approximately 30 group members convened at the area near LaHach/La Palapita Beach bars and went to work. The group combed a large area between the Stingray facility all the way down to the Sunset Bar and left it CLEAN AND BEAUTIFUL again. The equivalent of 78 garbage bags of litter and beach debris were removed from this high traffic area where many cruise ship passengers and routinely pass by. It was great to see so many folks helping and all the new faces. Elisa and friends from PASA once again volunteered their time and truck to come haul the bags away for the group - truly making it a community effort. LA CHOZA. GUIDOS * ROLANDI'S * THE COZUMEL COMPLETE GUIDE II Please consider patronizing these generous sponsors and thank them for helping out.
Safety and community come first in scenic Cozumel Family and community is an important part of the culture in Cozumel. The plaza is a place both locals and tourists enjoy. When people ask about my favorite place in Mexico, they're typically surprised by the answer. Oaxaca and Chiapas are at the top of the list. Loreto, Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, Veracruz and Michoacan all make the cut. But my favorite, as in the place where I'd love to retire? That would be Cozumel, Mexico's largest Caribbean island. Unfortunately, it's also Mexico's busiest cruise port, which might explain the questioners' puzzled expressions. More than three million cruise passengers arrive annually, spending a few hours in duty-free diamond shops while clasping hourglass-shaped souvenir glasses. Those who tour the island's wild windward side, snorkel above pristine reefs and chat with locals in the plaza and experience a few of the reasons I long to become a cozumeleño. Safety First
Mexican Traditions for ChristmasChristmas for Mexicans, in traditional homes and rural areas, is a religious holiday. It is a celebration of the Nativity. This means the birthday of Our Lord Jesus. In order to prepare for the day of symbolic commemoration, we have the "Posadas". These celebrations are a "Novena" or nine days before the 24 which is the "Noche Buena" or "Holy Night". These Posadas are an enactment of looking for lodging of St. Joseph and Virgin Mary, called The Pilgrims going to Bethlehem for the Census according to the Scriptures. Each family in a neighborhood, will schedule a night for the Posada to be held at their home, starting on the 16th of December and finishing on the 24th on Noche Buena. Every home will have a Nativity scene. The hosts of the home are the innkeepers, and the neighborhood children and adults are Los Peregrinos, who have to request lodging through singing a simple chant. All carry small lit candles in their hands and four teenagers of about the same height are chosen to carry Los Peregrinos. The Peregrinos will ask for lodging in three different houses but only the third one will allow them in. That will be the house that is supposed to have the Posada for that evening. After all the prayer is done, then it comes the party for the children. There will be a Piñata, (pronounce Pignata, for it has an ñ instead of an n), filled with peanuts in the shell, oranges, tangerines, sugar canes, and seldom wrapped hard candy. Of course, there will be other types of chants the children will sing while the child in turn is trying to break the Piñata with a stick while he/she will be blindfolded. For the adults there is always "Ponche con Piquete"(sting), which is a hot beverage or "Punch" made out of seasonal fruits and cinnamon sticks, with a shot of alcoholic spririt. On Noche Buena, December 24, everybody goes to Misa de Noche Buena which is at midnight. After the Mass, everyone goes to their respective homes to have dinner with family and any friend who does not have a family is always welcome to be part of a family celebration, and most important of all to place the Baby Jesus in the manger in the Nativity scene. The presents are not received on Christmas, for Christmas is a celebration of Life of Our Savior.
Christmas in United States of America Santa Claus was born in US in the 1860's he was named this as he had a white beard and a belly, so he was named Santa Claus as this was the Dutch word for St Nicholas, Sintaklaas. Although the Dutch had bought him with them in the 17th century, he did not become an important person at Christmas until the Novelist Washington Irving put him in a novel that he wrote in 1809. This first Santa Claus was still known as St. Nicholas, he did smoke a pipe, and fly around in a wagon without any reindeer, but he did not have his red suit or live at the North Pole, he did however bring presents to children every year. In 1863 He was given the name Santa Claus and bore the red suit, pipe, and his reindeer and sleigh. Now Christmas celebrations vary greatly between regions of the United States, because of the variety of nationalities which have settled in it. In Pennsylvania, the Moravians build a landscape, called a putz - under the Christmas tree, while in the same state the Germans are given gifts by Bels nickle, who taps them with his switch if they have misbehaved. In Arizona, the Mexican ritual called Las Posadas is kept up. This is a ritual procession and play representing the search of Mary and Joseph for a room at the inn. Families play the parts and visit each other's houses enacting and re-enacting the drama and, at the same time, having a look at each family's crib. |
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