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Staying in a
Villa is like
taking a cruise
on land! |
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SPRING 2010 |
Celebrating the Spring Equinox in Mexico
The Beginning of Spring
What is the Spring Equinox?
On the equinox the sun is positioned directly over the equator. The word "equinox" means "equal night" because on the equinox the night is equal in length to the day. There are two equinoxes during the year, the spring equinox, sometimes called "vernal equinox," which falls around March 20th and the autumn equinox which falls around September 23rd. The day of the spring equinox marks the end of winter and beginning of spring.
The spring equinox is celebrated in many traditions as a time of fertility, regeneration and rebirth. Easter is calculated according to the date of the Spring Equinox - in the Western Church Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring equinox (the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Easter on a different date).
Spring Equinox Dates
The Spring equinox usually falls on the 20th or 21st of March. The dates for the Spring Equinox may vary slightly from year to year, in some places occurring as early as March 19th
Chichen Itza
The Mayan archaeological site of Chichen Itza is the most popular spot in Mexico to celebrate the spring equinox. The site's most famous building, The Kulkulkan temple, is the site of a dramatic display of Mayan astronomical knowledge. Every year on the autumn and spring equinoxes the light of the sun makes a play of light and shadow which makes it look like a serpent is slithering along the steps of the pyramid. The effect begins in the late afternoon, around 4 pm, and lasts for an hour or so. The serpent appears for a few days - from around March 19th to the 23rd, but on the actual date of the equinox the effect is most obvious.
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Red snapper with mango sauce: Huachinango con salsa de mango
Ingredients:
For the fish:
4 red snapper, sole or grouper filets, 6 oz. each
salt to taste
1 avocado, sliced into thin wedges
2 limes, quartered
For the sauce:
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
1 teaspoon freshly-squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon freshly-squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon juice from canned chipotles in adobo
1/2 cup finely diced mango, including the juice that comes out while dicing
salt to taste
Preparation:
Salt the filets and either broil or grill until just cooked through.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add remaining ingredients and simmer for one minute.
This can be done while the filets are cooking.
Place each filet on a plate, spread the mango sauce over the filets, and top with avocado slices and lime wedges.
Serve immediately.
Serves 4.
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The Months Ahead
March:
Turtles… baby turtles! Although much of Mexico’s coastline had been developed, there are still a few special places where sea turtles can safely bury their egg “clutch” and hope that they make it to hatching time. Then, begins the real miracle of the sea turtle as they crawl back into the waters of the Pacific Ocean. In the salty waters, their true destiny will be met. Only two or three out of every one hundred hatchlings will make it to adulthood and return to the same beach to mate and to ensure their life cycle.
April:
The month of April is “spring time” in Mexico too! In Puerto Vallarta, the locals look to the common yet very beautiful “Primavera Tree” to officially confirm that spring has arrived. This tree, normally covered with its’ green leaves, will drop all of its vegetation and stand naked just before the spring arrives. Then, suddenly the tree will burst forth with clusters of deep gold, yellow, and delicate pink blossoms covering every space on their branches. As the weather gets warmer and summer approaches, the flowers fade and fall away and new green leaves take their place.
May:
This is normally the last of the “dry” months in Puerto Vallarta. This is the month all locals take wages as to when the first rain will fall. It doesn’t count unless the sidewalks and streets get wet! Weather is still mild but is warming up daily. Everyone awaits the sweet rains, which usually appear at night, too clean and refresh the now dust covered foliage. Weather is still cool and pleasant and the beaches can be walked upon without burning your toes!
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