We hope you have enjoyed 2016 as much as we have and are looking forward to the new year! December at Na'atik has been full of Christmas activities, including making elves of the students and two film nights.
We have also been busy fundraising for our new library space and are delighted to have raised $4,800 so far. Our library, which will break ground in February, will provide free access to books and computers with internet as well as a quiet place to study; things that are not currently available to our students.
We still need to raise another $3,200, by donating today you can help us get the resources we need. Donate now and help us reach our goal!
We have ambitious plans for 2017 and we want to encourage you to challenge yourselves too. Knowing you are raising money for a good cause can be an excellent motivation to push yourself, so this new year why not take on challenge event and raise money for Na’atik in the process?
We have developed a new fundraising pack to guide you through the process of running a fundraiser. You can download the pack to find out more.
Posada literally translates as going from door to door to ask for lodging, like Joseph and Mary did on Christmas Eve. However, in Mexico it is commonly used to mean Christmas party. For example:
"Tuvimos la posada el sábado pasado"
"We had Na'atik's Christmas party last Saturday"
Learn Spanish or Maya in 2017
To encourage you to learn a language this year we have some great new year offers for our Study Abroad Yucatán Program. Discounts apply to students booking to study Spanish or Maya with us between 26 Feb- 8 April. The offer includes:
$50 per person off the price of each week of an immersion program
Free cooking class (worth $35 per person)
Bring a friend and you’ll both get an extra $50 off per-week (based on sharing a homestay and having group classes)
Book before Jan 28th to take advantage of this offer! For more information about our SAY program please inquire now by emailing Layla.
December’s donor of the month is Jen Mehler. Jen is a MY Project donor and a talented architect, we are very lucky that Jen has provided us with pro-bono architect drawings for our new second floor design.
Jen has been an amazing resource for us, we are so happy with the design of the second floor and can’t wait until the space is built and ready to be utilized by our students.
The traditional religions of the Maya, in whichastrology and ancestor worship both played a role, were based on a system of beliefs that included the world, the heavens, and an unseen underworld called Xibalba.
When Spanish missionaries introduced Catholicism to their regions, the Maya tended to add it onto their existing religion, creating a unique brand of "folk Catholicism." Their traditional gods that belonged to the natural world, such as corn, rain, and the sun, became associated with Christian saints, and various rituals and festivals were transmuted into forms approved by the church.
In Carrillo, New Year’s Eve is celebrated with piñatas and the burning of effigies. The incineration at midnight on December 31 of a doll, is a ritual purification to ward off bad luck or negative energies from the past year, as well as transition as a celebration of the arrival of the new year.
Communications Manager Leonie reflects on some of the surprises she has had since moving to Mexico, including night time bakeries and how being tall helps to start conversations around town.
