El Dia de la Rosca

“January 6. Instead of getting the present on the 25th of December, we get it on this day. We get a shoebox under your bed and give it on the 6th. There’s a bread that we make and there’s a baby in the bread. If you get the bread with the baby inside, then you have to throw a party on February 2nd. We have no Santa Claus. The party is like a feast with tamales, and the person has to cook everything. In Mexico, we don’t celebrate the 25th but on January 6th instead.”

This is a huge part of Vanessa’s life. When I was listening to this, I was confused at first because she had not specified that this was her version of Christmas. I thought it was a completely different holiday, but no. In Mexico, instead of Christmas, they celebrate El Dia de la Rosca. As long as she can remember, Vanessa had celebrated this with her family even after moving to the United States. I think this new type of Christmas holiday is very fun and excited to hear about. Hearing about what they do instead of the traditional Christmas exposed me to a whole new culture. Especially the bread part that determines who plans the party is different for me and it makes me want to try this too.

Vanessa Marquez is another co-worker of mine. She is a married 27 year old. She was born in Mexico and came to the United States as a child. These folk stories were shared to me during break at work in a casual setting.