By: Martin Altamirano
The arrival of the Christmas season and the end of the year bring with them a Mexican tradition full of food, parties, alcohol and fun that has been popularly baptized as the Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon and that this year will have to find a new meaning, since there is no It is a traditional marathon, since the goal is not to cover several kilometers, but to celebrate as many parties as possible.
Although Guadalupe-Reyes revolves around the holidays and end-of-year coexistence, the popular tradition has a different origin, and this 2020 will also be away from the holidays due to the coronavirus pandemic. The name was born in the 90s as a key to the police operations carried out during the end of the year in Mexico City. These operations included the surveillance and protection of the thousands of pilgrims who arrive at the Basilica of Guadalupe on December 12 and later the care of the citizens during all the festivities of the season, until the last purchases on January 6 due to the arrival of the three wise men.
Since then, the term has taken root in popular culture to refer to the series of festivities that take place during that period, beginning with the celebrations for the Virgin of Guadalupe on December 12, then the nine posadas that take place from December 16 to December 24, the celebration of Christmas Eve on December 24 and Christmas on the 25th, in addition to the end of the year festivities and the reception of the New Year, and concludes with the arrival of the Three Kings on January 6. We must also consider the parties that occur within work environments during the marathon, in addition to the traditional gift exchanges with friends or co-workers.
There are even those who extend the celebration until Candelaria Day on February 2, which is the continuation of the Three Kings Day celebration, in which those who took out a doll in the bagel on January 6 must make a “tamaliza”. However, as there is almost a month of separation between these two festivities, Candlemas is not considered part of the marathon.
Although the Guadalupe – Reyes Marathon revolves around parties and celebrations, the excesses derived from them also tend to have consequences, for example, those who participate in the celebrations can gain weight due to the large amount of food that is traditionally prepared in those dates, in addition, the consumption of alcohol in excess can derive, in the worst case, in car accidents. For this reason it is important to celebrate the holidays responsibly and finish the marathon in the best way.
