[ILLUSTRATED INTERVIEW] Garcia talks family traditions during the holiday season

Elle Chen, Production Manager|November 19, 2020

Elle Chen

Meet senior Karla Garcia who celebrates both American and Mexican holidays.

The holidays are rolling around again. Senior Karla Garcia shared some of her best memories of celebrating during this time of year.

Garcia celebrates many Americanized holidays in Mexican ways.

“I feel like one of the ones I enjoy the most is Mexico Christmas. I feel like it’s different than here in the US because it’s not as gift oriented. It’s mostly spending time with your family and religion is a part of the tradition,” said Garcia.

To Garcia, Mexican Christmas is all about the family experience. (Elle Chen)

“We typically go to church on Christmas Eve, and there’s a baby Jesus that gets blessed. At 12 a.m. that night, everyone kisses baby Jesus and it’s also a celebration of when he was born. We don’t really do gifts on Christmas in Mexico so that’s specific to Hispanic [Mexican] culture,” said Garcia.

Leading up to midnight, everyone gives and receives warm hugs from each other. (Elle Chen)

Garcia also shared her New Year traditions. She said, “During the New Year there’s 12 grapes at midnight and a new years hug. So you just have [eat] 12 grapes leading up to 12 a.m. and then you just give everyone, who you’re celebrating with, a hug.”

During the New Year there’s 12 grapes at midnight and a new years hug. (Elle Chen)

Another holiday Garcia celebrates is Three Kings Day on January 6. “[Three Kings Day] that’s when kids will usually get their gifts in Mexico and they [kids] will go out and buy a ballon and write a little message on it and release the balloon into the air. They write down their hopes and stuff. I don’t celebrate it here in the US buy my cousins in Mexico do,” said Garcia.

Another holiday Garcia celebrates is Three Kings Day on January 6. (Elle Chen)

Although Garcia does not celebrate Three Kings Day like her relatives in Mexico, her own Mexican American way of celebrating it is more than memorable. Garcia said, “On Three Kings Day there’s a typical Mexican bread that’s called Rosca de Reyes. It’s like a donut shape but a big oval bread and inside of it there’s little plastic baby Jesuses and you cut into it and whoever gets the baby Jesus has to make food for the next celebration. That’s one of my favorite traditions because even here in the U.S. and when I’m in Mexico during the holiday season we’ll do that with all my family. And all my aunts and cousins come and we’re all together eating and having a good time and joking around. That’s one of my favorite memories.”

Whoever cuts the little plastic baby Jesus inside the Rosca de Reyes has to make food for the next celebration. (Elle Chen)