Celebrations of Candlearia in Mexico City: Tamal Fair!

As I begin this post, I'm listening to the melodic song of the cenzontle (curve billed thrasher), whose arrival several days ago announced: Spring is on its way!

Another sign of spring occurred this morning at 4:00 AM when a battery of cohetes announced mañanitas (matins, morning prayers) for today's celebration of Candlearia, February 2.

Many of us know this day—Forty Days after the Birth of Jesus—as the Presentation of the Infant at the Temple in accordance with Jewish Law. But according to Spanish Wikipedia, both the Fiesta of Light and the Fiesta of Candles (Candlearia) symbolize the arrival of Jesús as the Light of the World.

Let me say yet again that Mexico never passes up an opportunity for a fiesta! Our curiosity was piqued last week when we saw huge tents being set up in the plaza next to the church in Coyoacán. But would you believe a Tamal Fair?

Note: Our dear friend Rubén once memorably took us to task for describing a single tamal as a tamale. "No," he explained, "one tamal (accent on second syllable); many tamales." Hence, Fiesta of the Tamal!

This stall offers Mexican organic coffee: "Cafe Monte Abuelo" [Mt. Grandfather]
"We care for the land of our world, the heart of our people, and the palate of our friends."
Feria del Tamal, Coyoacán

To understand, we have to take a step back to family celebrations of the Epiphany on January 6, marking the arrival of the Three Kings—Wise Men, Magicians, Astronomers—at Bethlehem to deliver gifts to the Newborn Jesus. The Rosca de Reyes (Rosca of Kings) plays a prominent role in these celebrations.

This ring-shaped sweet bread featuring bits of candied fruit and...

...a little plastic or porcelain doll representing the Baby Jesus buried in dough.

As handed down from generation to generation, the age-old tradition specifies that the person whose piece of Rosca contains the little figure must organize a fiesta for Candelaria on February 2, to which are invited friends and anyone else who shared the Rosca. The menu is specific: atole, the sweet corn drink, and tamales made with corn flour.

Given corn's dominance of the menu, it's difficult not to link this tradition to spring and to preparations for planting maíz (corn). After all, corn was originally cultivated in the river valleys of Mexico; the original peoples honored the maize god; and corn is celebrated today as the very 'heart' of Mexico. 

It's impossible to overstate how seriously this tradition is taken. For example, a monumental Rosca was placed in Mexico City's Zócalo, main square, to be shared with about 200,000 people. The Zócalo measures 240 meters (260 yards) to a side, so when I say, 'monumental', keep in mind that the Rosca was made up of:

• 2,500 sections, 42 centimeters wide (16" wide) and 65 centimeters long (25" long); and was
• 720 meters long (787 yards; almost eight football fields).

2013: One Segment of 787-yard long Rosca de Reyes that wound around Mexico City's Zócalo

But I digress. The point is that the traditional foods of Candlearia are atole and tamal. Reed had gone ahead to Coyoacán Centro (plaza) to pay bills at the bank. When I caught up with him, he'd already been standing in two long bank lines, so we looked for a bench to sit down and rest.

We'd been sitting and people-watching for just a few minutes when we noticed an elderly gentleman purposefully making his way toward our bench. We moved over to make room for him and invited him to sit. He greeted us in halting English, asked if we're German, and if we speak English.

Our chat with him was delightful. He is eighty-eight years old and was born in Colonia Roma, a neighborhood closer to Mexico City's historic district. Then he added,

"When I was a boy, there was marsh between Mexico City and Coyoacán...."

"...like Xochimilco today," Reed interjected. 

"Yes," the gentleman smiled, "just like Xochimilco today. And Coyoacán was nothing; it was just a little pueblo at the outskirts of Mexico City."

Then he asked if we were going to the Feria. When we replied, certainly, we're just resting before going inside, he became quite animated in telling us about the tamales offered in Stall 29:

"They are delicious, the best here," he observed before saying goodbye and heading inside. 

A few minutes later, we made our way inside the long, white tent that housed the vendors' stalls.

2013 Feria del Tamal, Coyoacán, Mexico City
One of the three tents devoted to vendors' stalls!

We slowly made our way among the other customers gazing at the offerings.

Vendors' Stalls

Tamales from Oaxaca and Chiapas are wrapped in banana leaves, rather than in corn stalks like those shown below.

Tamales Wrapped in Corn Stalks

Each stall attractively displayed their offerings. Atole was served in ceramic cups, which were included in the price!

Atole was served in cups like the roundish reddish-brown cup
to the right of the plate of Costeño (Coastal) Tamales Wrapped in Banana Leaves (Green)

After we'd been walking around for a few minutes, Reed asked,

"How does anyone know which stall to choose?"

On cue, our gentleman re-appeared, holding a business card on which the number 29 had been written in pencil.

"This stall has absolutely the best tamales at the Fair; I have been their friend and customer for twenty years," he assured us.

Touched by his kindness, we thanked him and wished him "Buen provecho" (literally, "Good benefit" or more loosely, "Enjoy your meal"), which is the traditional, courteous greeting offered to diners. As he walked away, I noticed that he was carrying a white plastic bag with two quart-size Styrofoam containers. He and his family will indeed enjoy 'Good Benefit' from their annual meal of their favorite tamales!

We walked on...observing that stalls were offering not only tamales, but other products like organic coffee from Chiapas, cheeses, and bee products (honey, beeswax, and medicinals like propóleo, which is harvested directly from beehives and processed into a variety of products):

This stall offers Sweet Tamales, Cheeses, Sweet Breads, etc.

Seeing the propóleo reminds me that the tradition of native healers is quite strong in Mexico, where the land's biodiversity lends itself to a wide variety of plants with healing properties. But that's another post for another day....

The diversity of products offered in the stalls remind us again of Mexico's powerful market tradition, whose roots reach back deep into Mexico's rich cultural past...yet another post....

Coyoacán's Feria de Tamal is a four-day affair: January 30 to February 3. The fair, associated with Candlearia, brings to a close the annual celebrations of Christmas, New Year, Three Kings Day and the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple.

What's next? Stay tuned....

Still Curious?

• Mexico Fiesta: Candleária (Ground Hog's Day) celebrated in Tócuaro, Michoacán;
• Awakening to the Rhythm of Life in Mexico...the first segment focuses on the cenzontle, including a poem by the Aztec philosopher-poet-king Nazahualcóatl.