Santa just returned the sleigh, but the Three Kings are on their way!
By Liliana Gil, Managing Partner & Cultural Intelligence™ Officer, XL Alliance
Bogotá, Colombia- For most retailers, marketers and traditional "holiday" programs, the rush of the shopping season has ended. However, if you want to truly connect to the essence of las navidades (the holidays) for us Latinos, the window of celebration and events is not over yet. While most American kids have already exchanged Santa's milk and cookies for gifts, our kids still await the Three Kings with a little water and fresh grass for the camels. Día de los Reyes (Three Kings Day) is yet to come on January 6th...so, closing shop on the 25th may be too soon. Is your brand ready? Does your promotion acknowledge the great window of celebrations that most Latinos follow as tradition?
This Moments to CultuRise takes a quick tour at the various traditions for the holidays in Puerto Rico with its Parrandas, Mexico and the Posadas and all iconic imagery and traditions that kids follow as they await their gifts from "el niño Dios" (little baby Jesus) in countries like Colombia or the los reyes magos (the Three Kings) in countries like Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain, among others. For example, in Mexico, it is traditional for children to leave their shoes, along with a letter with toy requests for the Three Kings, by the family nativity scene or by their beds. The shoes may be filled with hay for the camels, so that the Kings will be generous with their gifts. In Spain, children typically receive their presents on this day, rather than at Christmas. In Puerto Rico, Children take a shoe box, fill it with grass and put it under the bed. The three kings will then take the grass to feed the camels and will leave gifts under the bed as a reward.
Also, given that over 90% of Latin-American is Catholic and almost 100% Christian, the tradition and belief of Mary, Joseph, the nativity and all the events leading to Jesus' birth at midnight play a very significant role in the meaning and traditions of the holidays. While we worry about political correctness in the U.S (rightfully so) and have gone from Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays, in Spanish, Feliz Navidad is still alive and well and so are all the events leading to that special day. In fact, the nine days before the 24th, also referred to as las novenas are very important days in which families, friends and entire neighborhoods gather to sing, visit each other and pray. In true Latin spirit, our celebration lasts more than "one" day.
So, regardless of your belief and tradition, from a business insight stand point I encourage you to look at the big picture when it comes to the holiday season. From food, music, to "the" day for opening gifts, the Latino holidays are the perfect season to connect with relevancy and authenticity. So for 2011, please pencil down from December 16th (when novenas start) all the way until January 6th. Take note and let the celebration continue! Feliz Navidad & 2011 a todos!
Categoría:
Viajes y eventos
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