Rene’s Gym Becomes a Non-Profit Organisation
The children at Rene`s Gym are celebrating! At long last a non-profit organisation was legally constituted, known in Mexico as Asociación Civil or Civil Association. This legal organisation will allow them to receive tax deductible donations, as well as request support from government programmes . The name of the Gym had to be changed and “Saving Angels” is now called “Centro Enseñando a Vivir” (The Teaching How to Live Centre) and the acronym for it is “CE VIVIR”. The Spanish pronunciation for the acronym is very meaningful; it means “sabre Vivir” (Know How to Live).
In fact the service carried out by the group strives for the children, through the Values programme, to understand what is really important in life…that they learn to live their lives based on values, recognising their own divinity.
Christmas Celebration
The birth of Jesus Christ in our country is celebrated by what is known as “Posadas”. These festivities before the birth of Jesus recreate the times that the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph sought shelter in several houses, on their way from Nazareth to Bethleham as the Virgin Mary was about to give birth. Popular tradition is to ask for “refuge” or “posada” which means the same thing (a place to stay). This is celebrated over Nine days, symbolic of the nine months of Mary`s pregnancy.
Customarily at each Posada the children sing villancicos (Christmas Carols) and after asking for posada at several houses, dinner is offered along with a piñata in the form of a seven pointed star. A piñata is a hollow, decorated, papier-mâché figure filled with candies, fruits, and gifts which is hung up and broken with sticks while blindfolded – a very lively activity. Each point of the star represents a “bad quality” that should be overcome: lust, gluttony, greed, ideleness, anger, envy and pride. Breaking the piñata signifies the desire to eliminate those bad qualities from one’s life and the candy that falls out of it represents the blessings received by the children who fulfill the promise of being better.
The group, following the tradition for this season, served the “tamales” and “Ponche” (hot drink with raisins, tejocotes fruit, pecans and other fruit) for all the children and parents.
Lupita López knitted woollen hats for each child to protect them from the winter cold. Also, each one of the members of the service group gave each child a sweatshirt with the C.E. VIVIR logo.
