Oaxaca New Years, Celebrations
During the dancing at this party some men dance with ‘the Torito’, a reproduction of a small bull. In Oaxaca it is traditional to load it with firecrackers. (Eduardo Stanley)
The music is loud. The ballroom is crowed. But nobody seams to care, because they —families and individuals as well— came to enjoy the celebration. It is La Fiesta del Pueblo, a Oaxacan celebration that has taken place since 2009 in Madera, California.
It started as the celebration of a Oaxacan town in Madera but over time became bigger than that. A group on immigrant rural workers from Coatecas Altas, Oaxaca, decided to celebrate the town’s saint —a very traditional event in several Mexican communities.
“Many of these people didn’t go back to their town for as long as 10, 15 or even 20 years,” explains Juan Santiago, a young immigrant from Coatecas Altas, Oaxaca, Mexico, populated by the Zapotec indigenous who speak their own language. “People miss this tradition, and they ask to reproduce some of the traditions.”
Zapotec are one of the 16 recognized ethnicities in Oaxaca and one of the largest, altogether with Mixtecs and Triquis. The exact number of indigenous people from Oaxaca living in California is unknown.
The presence of indigenous immigrants started to be noticeable since the 1980s. Now they represent the main source of agricultural labor in states such as California.
The indigenous presence —including those coming from other states of Mexico, like Michoacan and Guerrero— also modified the cultural landscape of cities and towns of California’s Central Valley, such as Lindsay, Madera, Dinuba, Arvin, and others.
“Most Zapotecs emigrated first to other Mexican states, then to United States in the 1990s,” said Santiago. “Since our people came after the immigration reform of 1986, we are mostly undocumented.”
This is a different status when compared with other indigenous groups, for instance many Mixtecs arrived before that year, so they have residency and can visit their families back in Mexico.
Traditionally, in rural communities first migrate adult men, then the younger ones and women. “This is what happened in my family. First came my father and brothers; my mother and me were the last ones to arrive to Madera,” explained Santiago.
Mexican indigenous people are basically of rural origin. This is the main reason they move to rural areas, such as California’s Central Valley.
Oaxaca New Year Celebrations
The dance of the Marmotas is traditional in the Central area of Oaxaca. (Eduardo Stanley)
“Besides that, Madera has another advantage for us: it is located in the middle of the South portion of the Valley, known as the San Joaquin Valley (the North portion is known as the Sacramento Valley), which means we can work in fields located from Bakersfield to Stockton,” said Santiago, who is a Dreamer and recently completed a Fellowship Program at the US Congress, in Washington, D.C.
Because of the strong Catholic influence, in towns such Coatecas Altas, the main celebration is dedicated to the local saint.
This is why at the Fiesta del Pueblo there is shrine to San Juan Evangelista. Most of the party-goers bring floors and candles, some of them pray with their children around.
Most religious celebrations —including Christmas— are related to the agricultural cycles and the old celebrations to the Gods of fertility. As a consequence of the Conquista, the Catholic Church imposed their saints, celebrations and even temples, on top of the indigenous celebrations and temples as a way to catechize and control them.
La Fiesta del Pueblo, that takes place December 28, is becoming a bit more elaborate.
“This event is helping people to get involved in the community. It takes a year to organize it, so the organizing committee has to deal with several people, organization,” said Santiago, who was part of such committee for the first three years. “It helps a lot, you feel these activities educate you, prepares you to go around better in our community.”
Oaxaca, New Year
A shrine is built for those who attend the celebration interested on praying or bringing flowers to the town’s saint. (Eduardo Stanley)
But Santiago sees another positive element of the celebration: “Many workers live alone. They are fathers, or sons, and they are alone. So they come to the Fiesta and they enjoy and forget for awhile the nostalgia and the loneliness.”
Year after year, other indigenous groups participate in the event. Also some agencies and organizations join it to provide information.
“To organize this event also help us to become conscious about the need to work together and to plan ahead.”
Not bad for a event that started as a celebration for the Saint of a Zapotec town in Oaxaca and now is growing beyond the borders of a rural small city of California.