Mexico

Mexico, a warm atmosphere

To begin, a short presentation...

Mexico is a country of North America, situated in the South of the United States, from which it is partially separated by Río Grande. With about 107 million inhabitants, among whom 20 millions in the urban area of its capital, Mexico City. Mexico is the most populated countries of Spanish language.

The religion

The great majority of Mexicans are catholic with 89 % and Protestant with 6%, mainly concentrated in Mexico City. The Judaism is present in Mexico for centuries. We count today between 45 000 and 60 000 Jews in Mexico. The Islam is very minority and is mainly practised by the immigrant communities of country with Moslem majority

The metropolitan cathedral of Mexico, situated on the central place of Mexico City, is the biggest cathedral of America. It was built in the style of Spanish baroque architecture and includes two towers of 64 meters which carry eighteen bells.

The local Name : Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de María

Guadalupe's Virgin is an object of worship in Mexico and in some Latin American countries.
It is a symbol which binds the family, the politics and the religion; the colonial past and the present interbreeding of native and Spanish.

Customs

The "sombrero" is a type of hat native of Mexico. "Sombreros" are generally rather high at the level of the head and have a very wide edge, allowing to the user to protect itself from the sun. The name derives from Spanish "sombra" which means shade or darkness. Generally, in Mexico we have to specify "charro sombrero", because the word "sombrero" is the generic name to say hat

The Bride may wear a mantilla veil, or a slim dress with a bolero jacket, or even a Flamenco-style dress.
The groom may choose to wear a matadorian outfit, a bolero jacket with tight pants, or, a Mexican wedding shirt with loose, drawstring pants.

Wedding Place

In the past, weddings were in the bride's yard or house. The groom arrived by horse to the bride's house and after the wedding ceremony took his wife in a palanquin to his parents' house to live.
Today, Mexican wedding takes place in according to the bridegroom's choice.

Marriage

In Mexico, the traditional marriage ceremonies are sponsored by couple's Godparents. Godparents are the benefactor for the couples. They accompany the bride and the groom throughout their wedding and their engagement. The Godparents or the padrinos gift for the couple with a rosary, a name of a preayer and a Bible during their wedding ceremony.

During the marriage...

A traditional Mexican reception is held where all the guests are invited for a big feast. All the guests join hands and form a heart shape around the couple as they begin their first dance. The most of the time, the salsa, merengue and the flamenco music symbolize the latine reception

The Mexican wedding cake is cut by the newlyweds and distributed among the guests. A paper mache container shapes an animal or can be a heart, is suspended from the ceiling at Mexican traditional wedding celebrations. It is stuffed with candies, chocolates and toffees. On breaking open the container the items are shared by the newlyweds and guests : "Las pinatas".
Usually, in Mexico, the bridegroom to toss red beads as they leave the church to bring good luck and prosperity in their married life.

After the Marriage...

Usually, the Mexican marriage go on during two or three day. The most of the time, the festivities happen in the streets, where all the guest and the village celebrate the newlyweds.
Then, the bridegroom choose the place of the honey-moon.