Danza El Mandato is a real commitment because the dance is difficult and takes many months to practice. Each dancer participates for a special reason, that is, a promise he or she has made to Our Lady. The participants wear colorful garments hand-made with bells and rattles from Mexico which harken back to the Aztec people to which Juan Diego belonged. The dancers perform at various homes on the nights leading up to Dec. 12. They gather into three lines and do a dance, or march, for our Holy Mother. This year, the dancers marched from 35th street beginning at 8 pm to Our Lady of Guadalupe parish. There they performed for about 45 minutes before the beginning of the mass honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe at 10pm. At midnight, the congregation sang Las Mañanitas with a mariachi band to greet Mary. This year, Adan, Anley, and Jessica Salgado all danced along with friends and other family.
The celebration of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe is just the beginning of a long season of festivity for the Salgados, who have many special Christmas traditions as well. They set up the nativity scene, and on Christmas morning, one of the children raises the previously laying down statue of Christ. Mom Jessica Salgado bakes a cake for Baby Jesus so her children can sing Happy Birthday, as Anely writes, “He is the reason why we celebrate Christmas day!” The children sing and say an Our Father and a Hail Mary. The family then passes Baby Jesus around carefully and gives Him a kiss on the cheek, foot, and hand. Then they opens gifts. Some foods the Salgados might eat on Christmas include menudo or tamales with bunuelos, fried flour tortillas sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon which are usually served with a hot beverage such as coffee or hot chocolate. Anely’s favorite part of Christmas is going to the Spanish mass and opening presents. (X-mas cont. on pg 14). F cooking the dinner!
Cover: Danza El Mandato is performed outdoors before an image of Our Lady at Guadalupe Parish on December 11.
Adan Salgado (9th grade) dances at Sacred Heart Parish on Dec. 12.