A holiday celebration in a binational context: Easter experiences at the US–Mexico border

Abstract

As part of a larger research project examining cross-border culture in a recreational and tourism context, this brief research note describes how intangible heritage melds into Easter celebrations and provides some preliminary findings of interviews with borderlanders and their experiences with Easter memories. The Paso del Norte region of the US-Mexico border is composed of the Ciudad Juárez (Mexico) and El Paso and Las Cruces (USA) conurbation. Mexican culture with strong roots at north of the border, while American culture heavily influences the cities south of the line. There are five international border ports of entry, which have facilitated the growth of crossborder tourism and the flow of culture and ideas on both sides of the boundary. In this setting, the commemoration of 'Bunny Day', or Easter, has become an important borderland cultural phenomenon celebrated on both sides of the border at Chamizal Park in Ciudad Juárez and Chamizal National Memorial in neighboring El Paso, and has become a mark of local borderlands culture. This is unique to the Paso del Norte borderland, which is home to a highly conservative, Catholic society. It is a manifestation of blended American and Mexican religious holiday traditions that represent the US-Mexico border community

Borderscapes and tourismscapes: The place of postcards in Mexican border town tourism

“…In common with US-Mexico trade and the maquiladora sector, in the realm of tourism, there is also a symbiotic relationship between the two sides of the border (Blasco, Guia, & Prats, 2014;Cuevas-Contreras & Zizaldra--Hernández, 2015;Cuevas-Contreras, Zizaldra-Hernández, & Delgado-Guzmán, 2018).…”

Storm Power, an Icy Tower and Elsa’s Bower: The Winds of Change in Disney’s Frozen

“…16 16 The custom of egging houses humiliates the target through feminization, just like having egg on one's face connotes humiliation. Breaking eggs, however, can also be propitious as in Mexico, when cascaroneshollowed eggshells filled with confetti-are crushed on people's heads, bringing good luck (specifically fertility) (Contreras et al 2015), which is likely due to the sperm-like associations of confetti (that are paired with eggs penetrated by sperm as part of conception). Elsa's act of conception shows her as a "tempestress" of sorts, reflecting her ability to conjure storms and make herself seemingly an object of desire.…”

“…Breaking eggs, however, can also be propitious as in Mexico, when cascaroneshollowed eggshells filled with confetti-are crushed on people's heads, bringing good luck (specifically fertility) (Contreras et al 2015), which is likely due to the sperm-like associations of confetti (that are paired with eggs penetrated by sperm as part of conception).…”