Restaurants In Lakeland To Take Mom On Mexican Mother’s Day

LAKELAND, FL — Mother’s Day is an important holiday in Mexico, but unlike in the United States where the celebration consistently falls on the second Sunday in May, Mexican Mother’s Day, or “El Dia de la Madre,” always takes place on May 10. That’s on a Wednesday this year, and there are plenty of Mexican restaurants in Lakeland to have lunch with Mom.

El Día de la Madre is a celebration first of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a powerful symbol of Mexican identity and faith, and second, a celebration of mothers and motherhood.

“Mexicans are very attached to family, not like in the United States, where they throw the kids out of the house at age 18,” radio host Maxine Woodside said in a 2012 interview with The Washington Post. “Here we see men in their 40s who still live with their mothers, and why not? Their moms still do their laundry.”

Feasts featuring signature cuisine such as mole, pozole, enchiladas, sopes, quesadillas, beef barbacoa and other traditional recipes are a big part of Mexican Mother’s Day. Here are some places in Lakeland to treat your mother:

• Abuelo's Mexican Restaurant, 3700 Lakeside Village Blvd., Lakeland.
• Azteca D'oro Mexican Restaurantm 1235 N Parkway Frontage Road, Lakeland.
• Tapatio's Restaurante Mexicano, 6645 S. Florida Ave., Lakeland, and 734 E. Memorial Blvd., Lakeland.
• Taco Bus Lakeland, 126 S Kentucky Ave., Lakeland.
• Dona Julia's, 5375 Florida Ave. S, Lakeland.
• Mega Mercado, 2009 George Jenkins Blvd., Lakeland.
• Fuzzy's Taco Shop, 3950 S Florida Ave., Lakeland.
• La Calentana Mexican Restaurant, 1725 W Memorial Blvd., Lakeland.
• Costilla Grill Mexican Restaurant, 223 N. Wabash Ave., Lakeland.
• Plaza Mexico, 3635 Florida Ave. S, Lakeland.
• Mr. Pollo Mexican Grill, 4981 U.S 98 N, Lakeland.
• Paleteria y Taqueria Guerrerense, 505 S Combee Road, Lakeland.
• Quintero's Taqueria, 4288 Old Kathleen Road, Lakeland.
• Taqueria El Perico, 615 W Daughtery Road, Lakeland.

Giving Mom the short shrift on El Dia de la Madre is unheard of in Mexico, where lunches can easily last five hours, according to The Washington Post. Mothers in Mexico are traditionally the ones who do the cooking and other housework, and Mexican Mother’s Day is set aside to let others do the cooking for them.

Even though Mother’s Day in Mexico has only been a holiday for a little more than a century, in pre-Columbian times Mexican society was built around powerful matriarchs, according to the travel website Pin and Travel.

Parade reported that, according to tradition, children in Mexico often gather outside the house on the morning of El Dia de la Madre to serenade Mom with traditional songs such as “Las Mañanitas,” whose lyrics translate to “Because today is your day, we’ve come to sing for you.” Sometimes, the song is accompanied by a full mariachi band.

Another traditional song is “Las Mañanitas” or “The Dawn,” which is also Mexico’s birthday song, whose lyrics include:

“Awaken, my dear, awaken
and see that the day has dawned
now the little birds are singing
and the moon has set.”