The food and beverage filled fiesta marathon with family and friends, which began in Mexico on December 12th (Día de la Virgen), wraps up on January 6th with celebration of Día de los Reyes Magos (Kings Day). During this nearly 4 week stretch (26 days to be exact since we’re talking marathon), certain excesses are presumed valid, taking advantage of the vacation period and perhaps often a little more money in our pockets.
As described by the dictionary, the term marathon is “any contest, event, or the like, of great, or greater than normal, length or duration or requiring exceptional endurance.” With this in mind, the “Guadalupe Reyes Marathon” has become an unofficial tradition, particularly among youth and adults, who on Dec. 12th begin the fiesta countdown – las posadas, holiday parties, Noche Buena (Christmas Eve), and New Year’s Eve, each of which allow for a little excess whether on the plate or in the cup – not to mention leftovers.
Over this span of family togetherness, hugs of well-wishes, opening of gifts on Christmas, and into the New Year, one also has a tendency to let their guard down as far as daily meals go. Though this be in just small amounts when going from fiesta to fiesta, “la cruda” (hangover) becomes a constant symptom for a few of us, and the tradition persists.
Yet, the marathon rhythm of fiestas will soon come to an end and waiting for us around the corner is the “cuesta de enero” (January slump) and checking ourselves in the mirror to see where we may have put on a little extra here or there, while tequila, whiskey, cerveza, vodka, etc. once again go back on the shelf “for special occasions”.
The daily routine of work, errands, rushing kids to school, and the preparation of meals returns to normal as the vestiges of the Guadalupe-Reyes marathon come to an end and we force ourselves to be good as we prepare for Marathon 2015!