Not your typical Mothers’ Day

Mexicans celebrate it on May 10.

By Pablo Jaime Sainz

Almost everyday, Everardo Perales Verdin, director and guitarrist of Mariachi Los Koritas, is working hard in Plaza Santa Cecilia, the place where the majority of Tijuana’s mariachis meet, handing out business cards with telephone numbers for possible contracts.

Most of the days, Perales walks from one corner to the other, trying to find people interested in hearing some good mariachi music.

But there’s a day when Perales has no need to run around looking for work for his mariachi because customers themselves are the ones who are searching for mariachis.

That day is Día de las Madres, Mexico’s mothers’ day, which is celebrated every May 10.

“The night of the 9 we have a lot of work,” Perales said. “Without a doubt, that’s the night we make the most money than any other night of the year.”

Perales and his Mariachi Los Koritas charge an average of $200 dollars per hour. On Dia de las Madres, though, there’s so much demand for mariachi music, that they can rise their prices.

Serenatas, or serenades, for mothers is a traditional practice on May 10. In Tijuana, just like in the rest of Mexico, one can hear and see mariachis playing classic songs such as “Las mañanitas,” “Amor de madre,” and “Amor eterno” outside the houses, on the streets.

“If it was up to me, I would make every night of the year a Dia de las Madres. It’s good for me,” Perales said, smiling.

Perales has an advice for every son and daughter, and for every husband in Tijuana: “Get a mariachi and give your mom, your wife, or even your mother-in-law, a serenade. Show your life with a good song.”

Although in the U.S. Mothers’ Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May, in Mexico it is always celebrated on May 10, and it has been like that since 1922.

Mexicans love their mothers. And it shows on May 10.

Many businesses close. Schools either have the day off, or children participate in Dia de las Madres festivals where they pay tribute to their mothers with dances, skits and gifts.

Serenatas are a popular tradition, like Perales mentioned. But they’re not the only typical tradition on this day.

It is also common for children to recite poetry in honor of the mother. There are books especially written with hundreds of poems dedicated to mothers, that children memorize and recite in front of their whole school.

Another tradition is to do Dia de la Madres arts and crafts, where children create their own gifts, usually portraits and hearts, for their moms.

This year, May 10 falls on a Wednesday. If you’re in Baja California on that day, you will notice that there will be a lot of activity on the streets, with families hurrying to buy gifts for ‘mamás.’

Religion plays an important role on Mothers’ Day in Mexico.

In Mexico City, for example, and in many Catholic churches in Baja California, including Tijuana’s Downtown Cathedral, thousands of people give a serenade, or Mañanitas, to Our Lady of Guadalupe, who Mexican Catholics consider their own mother in addition to being Jesus’s mother.

If you’re in Mexico that day, you can tune in to Televisa’s Canal de las Estrellas, and see all the artists who pay tribute to the virgin. There you will be able to see the devotion of Mexican Catholics to their mother.

Also, many churches in Baja California will have masses dedicated to mothers.

If you’re interested in traditional Mexican music for this day, you can check out Los Tigres del Norte’s “A ti madrecita,” a collection of songs dedicated to mothers from the biggest band in norteño music in the world. This album is usually sold by the thousands on Mothers’ Day and it’s available in any music store.

It includes tunes such as “Mañanitas a la madre,” “Consuelo,” “Amor de madre,” among other classics.

If you’re planning on going out for dinner on Mothers’ Day in Mexico, beware: Restaurants are going to be packed.

Usually, you have to make reservations. If not, waiting times can be hours long in most popular restaurants in Tijuana’s Zona Río.

If you’re visiting Baja California on Mothers’ Day, you should consider paying a visit to Tijuana’s Plaza Santa Cecilia. The mariachi groups there would make a great gift for the mother in your life.

Plaza Santa Cecilia is located on the corner of Avenida Revolución and First Street, in Downtown Tijuana. .