Mother’s Day: A cultural comparison.

Today here in Guatemala we are celebrating Mother’s Day. Or, at least some people are. Some schools celebrated on Friday, on Saturday I went to a Mother’s Day dinner and on Sunday, a Mother’s Day lunch. But today, May 10th, is the official holiday. After learning a bit about how this special day is celebrated here and comparing certain aspects with our traditions in the US, I have begun to ponder if we really love and appreciate our mothers enough back home.
In a decidedly practical American fashion, we in the US have opted to celebrate Mother’s Day every year on a Sunday. This way the festivities do not interrupt work or school. Both the economy and the education system forge ahead, unimpeded, perhaps even somewhat enhanced, by our recognition of these special women in our lives. Here on the other-hand, when Mother’s Day falls on a Monday, all mothers get the day off work. This means that all of the mothers who are teachers cancel classes all day, while at the same time most schools have some sort of celebration that they invite all of the children’s mothers to. I haven’t quite worked out the logistics of all this, but what a better way to show mom you love her than giving her the day off work and a show at school. The only potential problem I can see is that “sons” or “daughters” might mysteriously appear once a year to allow “mommy” a day off of work.
A day off of work is all well and good, but these moms can forget about their sleep-in and breakfast in bed. Here it is also deemed appropriate to show your mother how much you love her by waking her up at 5:30 am with a stream of fire-crackers and loudspeaker announcements to let her know just how special she is. I don’t know about your mothers, but it seems to me that my mother would consider this a form of torture, and not the highest form of appreciation. So what says “I love you” more to you, 4 days of celebratory meals and performances and a day off of work, or a fire-cracker free sleep-in?