Celebrating the Relief Society's 172nd Birthday

First let me say that Sara and I are much improved in health.  The viruses have been relatively mild.  We didn't even need to go visit the curandero; although I did buy some night-time cough syrup at the farmacia without a prescription.  Who knows what's in it;  but, it really works!  We will survive.

Today we had a very sweet experience.  The last two weeks at church it was announced that today, Saturday the 15th, at ten o'clock there would be a special meeting for all the women of the wards and branches (congregations) in the area to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the Relief Society (the LDS church's women's organization).  I apologize at this point to friends not of our faith for all the Mormon jargon here.  It is just the way it is.  We have our own lingo.  Anyway, after church last Sunday Hermana Carmen came up to us and said that after the spiritual portion of the birthday comemoration, there would be a cultural program beginning around noon, with sisters from the various wards and branches of the San Cristobal Stake sharing various handicrafts and performing traditional dances.  She said that husbands and families are invited to the cultural part of the program, and she hoped we would come.

Sara originally had not planned on attending because she wouldn't really understand much; but, we decided we would like to go to the second part.  So, today we caught a taxi to the stake center across town, to gather with the good sisters and their families.  We got there just as they had moved from the chapel to the cultural hall.  We were greeted at the door and invited in to sit in chairs arranged around the edge of the hall.  The cultural program had just begun.  Sisters from each ward or branch, dressed in traditional costumes, performed dances from various regions of Southern Mexico.

These are the sisters from our ward, the San Cristobal Ward.

After the dances, there was a fashion show of dresses made out of materials ( and I don't mean fabric) found around the house.  As you will see below, the results were pretty amazing.

The skirt is made of newspaper pages folded
into fans.

This dress is made from orange sugar sacks,
with the decorations made from corn husks.

This flamenco dancer's dress is made from
black and yellow garbage bags.

This little girl's dress is made from brown wrapping
paper with decorations made from egg cartons.

At the end of the program all of the ward and branch Relief Society presidents were called up and honored for their service.  Then all those that had performed where called to the stage for a group photo.

The ward and branch presidentas, with the Stake RS
presidency to the left.  Hermana Carmen is holding the mic.

The program lasted about an hour-and-a half.  We truly felt it a privilege to be there.  We were the only gringos, but were made to feel so welcome.  As we watched the program we could feel the love these good women had for one another as they applauded and shouted encouragement to each others' performances.  We could also feel their pride in their country's deep cultural traditions.  I could not keep tears from coming to my eyes at being allowed to share in this wonderful part of "mi querido Mexico".  They come again as I write this.