Happy Mother's Day

Mother's Day was quite a different cultural experience here in Honduras. In my experience in the US, it is typical to celebrate only mothers very close to you: your mom, your grandmothers, and maybe a godmother or other symbolic maternal figure. Here, Mother's Day is a commercial extravaganza much like Valentine's Day in the US. Not only do you need to get YOUR mom a gift, you need to get something for every woman you know who is a mother. Fake flowers and vases are a typical gift.

But to be honest, the holiday goes much beyond the commercial aspect. Women are very much the backbone of Honduran society. Even when Honduran mom's work, they are still in charge of the (many) children and all the meals for the family. There is of course the exception of families who are able to afford help, but in general it is mother is still the organizer of all activities in the home. Mother's Day is the day when all of their hard work can be recognized.

At the Estancia we made a bulletin board and a program of performances to celebrate the day with the students' mothers. The students in the picture are reciting an acrostic poem. Only about half of the mothers made it to the celebration which was disappointing but not surprising. I presented both of the teachers and the administrator received Mother's Day gifts on behalf of the students.