MOTHERS: CELEBRATION DAY, ICONIC THINGS, NICKNAMES, PROVERBS AND SAYINGS IN THE LATIN AMERICAN WAY OF THINKING.

Last Weekend we celebrated Mother’s Day. This celebration is very common in all around the world in different dates. We honor our mothers, because they gave us life. For this matter I decided to write this post. You may think of a great diversity of origins, some cultural events we Latin Americans prepare for this day. Mom’s iconic things, the different ways to call her, her endless complaining, mom’s usual sayings, and some details from childhood. And I’ll finish this article with some proverbs either used by them, or alluding them. 

                  HISTORY  AND CELEBRATION  MOTHER´S DAY

Some of the History of Mother’s Day: The first celebrations were by the Greek to the Goddess “Rhea”. This is not directly related to the many traditional celebrations of mothers and motherhood that have existed throughout the world over thousands of years, such as the Greek cult to Cybele. But Greeks weren’t the only ones. In Latin America, Aztecs celebrated to Goddess “Coatlicue”, Mayans to Goddess “Ixchel” and the Incans to Goddess “Pachamama”. Only Incans descendant who live at the Cono Sur celebrate Mother’s Day on august 1^st in commemoration of Mother Goddess Pachamama.

In the Actuality  “Mother’s Day” comes from England. Then the United States establishes it and it expands to Latin America. Although, in some countries, because of historical or religious events, they celebrate this day on another date. In Bolivia they celebrate on May 27^th because that is the date when the Battle of Coronilla took place in Cochabamba. The date commemorates the Battle of La Coronilla, which took place on May 27^th, 1812, during the Bolivian War of Independence, in what is now the city of Cochabamba. In this battle, women fighting for the country's independence were slaughtered by the Spanish army. It is not a public holiday, but all schools hold activities and festivities throughout the day.

The feast for celebrating Mothers, Grandmothers and Aunts may change in every country. Usual things as take them to dinner, gifts, Mariachi serenade, music groups like Bolero, Andean or marimba, are common in most Spanish Speaking countries. Every region has its own traditions. In Guatemalan schools they make handmade crafts and activities to celebrate Mothers. They are Catholic, so they offer masses, blessings, prayers, etc. In Cuba they deliver Moher’s Day postcards. Many grew up seeing how their family made a list of known Mothers: aunts, cousins, neighbors and Friends, so they could sum how many postcards to choose the prettier ones and add a loving message. In Colombia its very common to give Mothers red flowers (roses, petunias, chrysanthemum, etc.), and go out on a road trip. If she deceased, we visit her grave and we put white or pastel colored flower arrangements and we offer a mass in her memory. 

NICKNAMES

The love to our Mothers is also expressed in how we call her: Madrecita (mummy), jefecita/jefa (boss) in Mexico, vieja (old lady) in Argentina, Cucha (old lady for low status people or joking), ma, mami (mummy), mamasaurius (joking with elder moms), La ley  "the law" (when mom is a little too bossy). We also have sweet names for our grandmas: Mama grande (Big mama), abebita (like in baby language), lita, or mama and her name (mamá Juana), baba, nona, abue, momo, nonita, tita, abuelinda (grandma-pretty), mita, buela, buelita, ita, mima or like in Cuba, mamuma.

In Latin America, the term “Mother”, either mine or someone else´s, usually has more value than “Father” because she always there for us, educate us, and teach us.The violence and wars in our countries made women widows or orphans and they became homes's heads, and they provide food and teach their children. They fight to mantain their families. There's a saying for this: Thank God for Mothers!. It's pejorative for men.

 ICONIC THINGS

With time, there are three things that identify a Mother: “la Chancla”  or “ Chancleta” ( The sandal), El cinturon, la correa o el cinto  (The belt)  and  " La cantaleta" ( Mom’s nagging).  These bring us memories about education, and Latin American Mother’s temper. There are a lot of posts where we joke about them.

1. The chancleta or chancla:   It’s a sandal made of rubber that holds the foot with a piece of cloth or a lace that grabs the big toe. “Chancleta” is more like a diminutive of “chancla”, and the cloth or lace work as a sash to hold the foot.  The may differ in the shape, both are used for the same thing: hit kids, adolescents and adults who don’t obey their parents or make something silly. The hitting is mostly on the legs and buttocks either with or without clothes. Some times in other body parts, if Mother has a good aim. There are three types of maternal hitting: 

Flying chancleta (sandal): This is when mom is far from her child, and she has a good aim, she will hit the child hardly and right on target.

3000 chancleta (sandal): A sandal trained to Dodge any obstacle between Mother and the child’s back or buttocks. Hits the target most of the time. 

Common chancletazo (sandal hitting): This is when our beloved Mother takes her sandal off and hit us wherever she can and she isn’t going to reason in any way.

2. The Cinturon, correa or cinto (the belt):  A band made of cloth, leather, rope or any flexible material you wear to hold your pants or a skirt. In one end it has a buckle (it’s usually metallic) and in the other it has holes to close the belt. Many of us were educated with a belt hit for saying bad words, swearing or cursing, being impolite to our parents or relatives, mocking people, being goofy, and so on, so we could become good-mannered and polite people.  

3.   The"Cantaleta":  Mom’s nagging (kind of a verbal diarrhea) where she expresses her anger to her children/husband/any human being. She may say something like: 

           OTHER EXAMPLES 

While I’m in this house, you will do as I say. 
  (Everyone in the house shall do what they are told to do, and they must obey Mother’s rules, if you disagree, you may leave).

·You are not the boss here, when you get a job and have your own house we’ll see. 

     (When we live   with our parents we shall obey their rules).

·Don’t look at me like that and you lower your voice!!

      (It’s used in a discussion when they are   shouting and moving their hands quickly or opening widely the eyes). 

·What do you think this is, a hotel? 

     (Mom says that when everyone goes to eat and sleep but there’s no family time).    

·If you keep crying I’ll hit  you so you have a motive. 

     (When mother finds out her children have done something bad and they know it was wrong and they start to cry before Mother says anything, so she throws this menace to stop the crying).

·If you keep talking back to me I’ll put your mouth front to back. 

     (We shouldn’t talk back, and if we do, she’ll slap us so hard on the cheek).  


                 PROVERBS AND SAYINGS IN THE LATIN AMERICAN WAY OF THINKING.  

Finishing this edition, I’ll leave some proverbs mostly used by our mothers, and some that come from them. 

1. MOTHER’S PROVERBS:

    ¡Al que madruga Dios le ayuda! is similar to "The early bird catches the worm":We should seize the day and grab the opportunities on time. Also, we must be cautious so we can make our goals. Always remember life is moving fast, so we shall move with it. 

     ¡Camarón que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente! is similar to “You snooze, you lose”: Don’t be lazy, it brings consequences. Life will not stop, so seize it.

     ¡ Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo! is similar to “There’s no substitute for experience”: We get a lot of experience and knowledge through the years. 

2. PROVERBS AND SAYINGS ABOUT THE MOTHER:

-  "Casa sin madre, río sin cause" is  House with no Mother, Boat in river with no paddle: Mothers are the base of the family. 

- "La madre y el delantal tapan mucho mal" is Mother and Apron cover lots of bad: it’s of great concern in view of the fact that a mother's level of education has a great influence on her children's education and the well-being of the household.

-" Madre holgazana cría hija cortesana" is Lazy Mother breeds prostitute daughter: It regards the bad ways of a Mother and how it shows on the daughters.

   SOME MEMES  ABOUT  " LA CHANCLA": 

     

WRITTEN BY ADRIANA MARTINEZ