A Very Maya Christmas

Not being Christians, Nancy and I don’t celebrate Christmas. This season, though, we were invited to attend a Mayan celebration on Christmas Day at a little community on the edge of Puerto Morelos sponsored by the Jungle Spa (a great place for a traditional Mayan massage).

The celebration started with the arrival of Joseph, with a penciled-beard, a beautiful teen-aged Mary riding a burro, and an entourage of local adults and children singing Christmas carols. It was sweet to see them moving slowly along the dirt road through the jungle.

Upon the arrival of the holy family, and after much recitation, little baby Jesus was placed in Mary’s arms—a local infant of about 3 months with a head of black hair and a patient disposition as the spa dog, dressed up for the holiday, sniffed his head, and visitors from Denmark, Sweden, Canada, and the States snapped photos of the happy family.

The three robed wise men arrived with their gifts, and then it was time for fun and food. The massage therapists performed several traditional dances, including one with a tray of full water glasses and a bottle of beer balanced on their heads.

Local artisans displayed their wares, and there was delicious Mayan food. The panuchos (pictured right) were excellent, but the pork tamales were so extraordinary that we ordered four to go (85 cents each) for our next two dinners.

We caught a taxi back into Puerto Morelos and stopped at a vegetable and fruit store for pineapple, mangoes, and veggies. We were surprised to see so many stores open on Christmas —perhaps the holiday isn’t quite so revered among the Maya merchants as one would think. We like supporting local businesses—especially when so many all-inclusive resorts don’t give much back.

Sandra Dayton, the founder of the Jungle Spa, gives a lot back to the culture she loves, in part through her non-profit organization. She told us that massage as simple relaxation is foreign to the Maya. Her therapists “are from a culture where giving massages is a way of healing. . . . When they were born, a midwife massaged them out of their mother's belly. They were massaged all during the infancy and at 7 or 8 years old they were taught to massage their parent's and grandparent's tired bodies when they came home from working in the cornfields.”

We envision the day when more cultures incorporate massage into daily family life. Imagine girls AND boys running to give Mom and Dad a foot, hand, and shoulder massage when they return from work.We have a lot to learn from the Maya!

For info about the Jungle Spa, visit www.mayaecho.com/Jungle_Spa.html.

Becky and Nancy