Traditions + Culture

When one of my daughter’s first words was D-d-d-dora I knew there was something special about this character. As a new mamá, I am watching children’s programs for the first time, getting to know what they are about and trying to figure out which are best for my daughter, Little L. Although she just turned 1, I do rely on some TV to help me with raising her bilingual. Little L’s exposure to Spanish is limited, and as I amRead More ...

  Passing on cultural traditions (both Mexican and US) to our children is extremely important to my husband and I: language, food, celebrations and religion are four significant areas that we try to integrate into our lives. Not only does it help them identify with both the English and Spanish communities, but these daily and special occasions strengthen the bond we have within our family, instill pride in their heritage and increase their language competence. When my husband was growingRead More ...

The very first Thanksgiving my husband and I spent together, was only three months after we had met and started dating.What a valiant boyfriend, to accept an invitation home to meet my family on one of my family’s favorite holidays! This intimidating family feast included 60 of my aunts, uncles and cousins in an animated sit-down dinner. As Toño followed the boisterous conversations, he may not have captured all of the English — but the warm hugs and laughter gaveRead More ...

Last time I visited the National Museum of American History in Washington D.C., I noticed that a section was closed as they were making changes but I didn’t know why – Now I discover it’s due to an addition that I cannot wait to go check out with my family! “FOOD: Transforming the American Table, 1950-2000″ opened yesterday, November 20th, 2012. The 3,800-square-foot exhibit includes seventy years of Latino food history and explores the social and cultural changes of eatingRead More ...

The biggest fights in the early part of my marriage revolved around a recipe. A Thanksgiving recipe. For stuffing no less! It sounds absolutely ridiculous to me now, typing those words out loud — and frustrating that we wasted so much emotion over an innocuous mass of old bread and drippings. But then, it really wasn’t a battle of corn versus white bread to begin with. If this fight had a name it would be Babita v. Hazel, the battle ofRead More ...

Thanksgiving — the date in November — has never meant much to me. When I was growing up, I was in Costa Rica, and the fourth Thursday in November was just another day. My brother and I were busy with school, my parents with work. My American father would usually make a casual comment in reference to the day, and I had memories of spending Thanksgivings past with his family in California when I was very little, but that wasRead More ...

Editor’s note: While we spend a lot of time talking about Latin American traditions, truth is we’re raising bicultural children. Since nothing could be more representative of American culture than Thanksgiving, we decided to bring you a few essays related to this tradition, which most Latinos have so happily embraced. After all, how can we say no to food, family and being grateful, right? Thanksgiving gives us a chance to reflect on our lives to be aware of and thankfulRead More ...

Every year when we open up our box of Halloween pumpkins, ghosts, spiders and bats, we also take out the Día de los Muertos skulls and skeletons we pack in the same box. The day before trick-or-treating, we set up our ofrenda: a memorial or altar that pays tribute to family members and friends who have died. The ofrenda is a collection of treasures, pictures, food, special items and candles to remind the families of their loved ones. Learning aboutRead More ...