¡Feliz Octubre, Rocky Point! All the best to you, and I hope your year is going well, and YES, I am sure we are ALL ready for the cooler temps that are upon us. Fall is always my favorite time of year, especially in Mexico. It means the end of the high-humidity days and nights; no more air conditioning is needed; cooler breezes return to us; you actually need a sweatshirt or light jacket on some nights; fall break from school is already upon us with so much of an early spring break vibe; and lastly, you can just see the relief on people’s faces that the heat is over and the gratitude of being lucky enough to live at one of the most beautiful places around 😊!!!
I am ALMOST back to Rocky Point after traveling to Europe a couple of times this month. In the last article, I had mentioned the NO A/C and ICE issue was a bit taxing on us North Americans traveling to Europe, but I just returned from Scotland, Ireland, and London, and the weather was PERFECT…it was upper 60’s to low 70’s degrees F, and it was sensational. Scotland was really quite amazing with its magical castles and awesome scenery. I did make it out where golf was founded, to St Andrews Golf Course, which is located right on the sea…it was really quite awesome for golfers (and putters like me). Dublin was really cool as well, although TCU didn’t fare too well at the American football game we went to see…oh well, just don’t lay another egg this week, Frogs! Although I have been to London several times previously, we were able to tour it quite well this year. I got to see Buckingham Palace and have tea in the Queen’s Garden, which was quite amazing. One thing I would highly recommend is to take the Uber boat down the Thames and really see just how awesome London is. We walked around so many neighborhoods, and wow, it is quite a posh city! Before I make it back to Mexico, I have one more stop in Mississippi to see another college football game…OLE MISS vs LSU…Hopefully the Rebs come through, but I am going with a mixed bag of peeps…we have some LSU fans, so I guess we will come home winners no matter what 😊!
In early October, we will celebrate one of Rocky Point’s traditions…celebrating Marco’s birthday! WOO HOO!!! I really look forward to it and spending time with my friends and chilling! Sooo, I put together a list of what makes spending your birthday in Mexico such a special time…
In Mexico, traditionally start your birthday with “Las Mañanitas,” which translates to Little Mornings. You will wake up to a morning serenade at dawn. However, it isn’t just any song that gets sung for the serenade. It is most widely this birthday song. It is a song that expresses the beauty of the birthday morning and how much love the singer has for the birthday person. However, if getting woken up at dawn doesn’t sound like fun, you can have it sung at any time of the day. Many people choose to have it sung later in the day at their birthday party when blowing out the candles. I was able to find the lyrics in both Spanish and English and have copied them here for you all…
Las Mañanitas Lyrics (Spanish)
Estas son las mañanitas
Que cantaba el rey David
Hoy por ser día de tu santo
Te las cantamos aquí
Despierta, mi bien, despierta
Mira que ya amaneció
Ya los pajaritos cantan
La luna ya se metió
Qué linda está la mañana
En que vengo a saludarte
Venimos todos con gusto
Y placer a felicitarte
El día en que tú naciste
Nacieron todas las flores
En la pila del bautismo
Cantaron los ruiseñores
Ya viene amaneciendo
Ya la luz del día nos dio
Levántate de mañana,
mira que ya amaneció
Las Mañanitas Lyrics (English)
This is the morning song
that King David sang
Because today is your saint’s day
We’re singing it for you
Wake up, my dear, wake up,
Look, it is already dawn
The birds are already singing
and the moon has set
How lovely is the morning
in which I come to greet you
We all came here with joy
and pleasure to congratulate you
The day you were born
all the flowers were born
On the baptismal font
the nightingales sang
The morning is coming now,
the sun is giving us its light
Get up in the morning,
Look, it is already dawn.
Next, you always need to remember the Tres Leches Birthday Cake. This amazing cake gets its name from the three types of milk used in its preparation. It starts with a special kind of sponge cake made with flour, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Once it’s baked, the cake is soaked in three types of milk: evaporated, condensed, and cream or whole milk. The cake is then frosted with whipped cream.
Traditionally, the cake would be white with white whipped cream. It might have fruit decorating it, such as coconut or strawberries. However, this has changed in modern times to give it bright colors and decorations. You could have a single-layer or multi-tiered cake. There is a lot of flexibility in what the final cake looks like. The key is soaking the cake in three types of milk to make it tres leches. This is my absolute favorite birthday cake…muy delicioso!!!!
Another really fun birthday tradition is la mordida. The birthday person’s hands are tied behind their back. They must then take a bite of their birthday cake without using their hands or other assistance. While the person is taking their bite, the birthday party guests shout “Mor-di-da” as someone pushes the birthday person’s face into the cake. While this tradition is celebrated in Mexico, not everyone participates. It is typically something the birthday individual gets a say in. It is all supposed to be fun; everyone is in on the joke and up for a laugh…sounds like my kind of party!
As with American birthday parties, there are plenty of drinks, food, and music. You may hear traditional Mariachi, banda, norteño, or more modern tunes played. People aren’t afraid to get up and dance to the tunes….aka…THESE HIPS DON’T LIE. For food, traditional dishes are served. These include sopapillas, tortillas, enchiladas, salsa, taquitos, churros, and mole. In addition to the tres leches birthday cake, other desserts like flan or rice pudding may also be served. You will find everything from soda products to beer and tequila for drinks. With so many people in attendance, a feast accommodates everyone.
Always remember, birthdays are always about fun, so make sure to plan yours soon at one of our local restaurants and bars and be sure to round up the whole gang! It is always more fun with more people 😊!!! After my birthday week, I am off to Rio de Janiero, Brazil, and I look forward to writing about the differences and similarities of the beach vibe in Rio compared to what we have in Rocky Point or Mexico in general.
Salud to all for an awesome October, and I hope to see you at the beach SOON!!!
ADIOS AMIGOS
GOD BLESS
Marco
