I wrote about my mother on Mothers Day, May 11, but I didn’t write about what I did on Mexico’s Mothers Day, which falls on the same date--May 10--here every year. This year, May 10 fell one day before Mothers Day in the U.S.

My fellow English teacher at the Centro de Idiomas in Xalapa, Gregorio, invited me to have dinner with him, his mother, his sisters, and other family members on that day. I found out that all of the members of his immediate family are teachers at different levels of education--including his mother, who is a retired teacher.

La comida was served on the patio where tables were set up under a canopy and umbrella to shield against the early-afternoon sun. I don't remember everything on the menu, but I do remember how delicious the chicken and the gelatina de rompope were.

-But before we ate, the party—members of Gregorio’s family—sang “Las Mañanitas” to all the mothers in the group. This song is the traditional birthday song in México, but I found out that it's sung on Mothers Day as well.

I had a great time. The walled-in patio is beautifully designed, with flowers and trees around the edges and the gurgling of a fountain adding to the ambience. I enjoyed being with Gregorio's family, visiting, and relaxing in that lovely space. (Please click on the photos to see more details.)

After that, Margarita went with me to a quinceañera in a nearby pueblito just outside of Xalapa. The invitation was extended to me by Susana Molina, the woman who sells me the Diario AZ (my favorite Xalapa daily newspaper) every weekday at a newsstand close to the school. It was her daughter, Yamileth (pictured here between her aunt and Susana), whose fifteenth birthday was being celebrated.

As soon as we arrived at the salon where the event took place, Susana greeted us and introduced us to her children, sister, father, and her husband, Javier Conde. And we were fed heaping plates of food, including barbacoa, rice, tortillas, and salsa—and later cake—although I couldn't really do justice to it because I was still full from the meal I’d eaten at Gregorio’s house.

One of the rituals that formed part of the coming-of-age ceremony for Yamileth was the presentation of a doll from the parents to the daughter—the last doll they will give her now that she has passed from childhood into young womanhood.