NATIONAL LATINA DAY: LATINA ENERGY IS A WHOLE VIBE

If you are a Latina, you may already know when National Latina Day is! If you are not, now you know it is on August 20th. National Latina Day is celebrated every year on August 20th. 

It was started in Texas in 2015 by Loli Alvarez Castilla and the online community Latinas Empowering Latinas. 

The Goal:  To honor Latinas and recognize their social, cultural, and professional influences on our society. There are many ways Latinas have had a positive impact on our society.

Latinas aren’t one monolithic culture: Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Colombian, Nicaraguan, Dominican, Venezuelan, Argentine, etc. all have their own traditions. Personally, I'm Cuban-American and find that that there are many shared or familiar themes across many Latino families. 

For example:

• 💋 Getting “dressed up” is sometimes just… getting dressed. Hoop earrings, lipstick, perfume, nails, cute shoes. Running to Publix does not necessarily require looking like you just escaped the house. 😂
• ☕ Cafecito is practically a love language, (especially in a Cuban household.) And somehow there is always time for coffee, even when there is absolutely no time for coffee.
• 🥘 Food = love. “Did you eat?” can basically mean I love you, I missed you, are you okay, and sit down because I'm feeding you, whether you are hungry or not.
• 👡 La chancleta (or chancla) has achieved mythical status. Every generation seems to know the legend, even people who were never actually chased with one. 😂
• 💃 Music can turn an ordinary kitchen into a dance floor. Salsa, merengue, bachata, reggaetón, cumbia…depending on the family, cleaning the house may come with a soundtrack.  Growing up in a Latin household it was weekends listening to El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico or Hansel y Raul; now-a-days for me, it's Marc Anthony 100%
• 🗣️ We can tell an entire story with our hands, eyebrows and facial expressions. Sometimes words are merely supporting actors.
• 📢 Volume does not necessarily equal anger. A room full of Latinos can sound like an international incident when everyone is actually having a fantastic time.
• 👩‍👧 Mamá knows everything. Sometimes before you do. And Abuela? She operates on an intelligence network that remains unexplained by modern science.
• 🥡 You rarely leave someone's house empty-handed. There is a strong possibility you're going home with leftovers, dessert, a container you are expected to return someday, and possibly unsolicited life advice.
• ❤️ Family tends to extend WAY beyond the nuclear family. Cousins, tíos, tías, godparents, grandparents, bonus relatives and people who aren't technically related but have been around so long nobody remembers why they're called Tía or Titi.
• 🎉 We don't need a huge excuse for a gathering. Birthday? Party. Graduation? Party. Baptism? Party. New job? Party. Someone bought a new patio set? Honestly, we can work with that. 😂
• 🧹 Saturday morning cleaning music is a cultural memory. If you woke up hearing music blasting, you knew immediately: Oh crap. We're cleaning today.
• 🥰 Terms of endearment are everywhere. Mi amor, mami, papi, corazón, gordi, mi vida, muñeca, sometimes said to people we've known for approximately seven minutes.
• 🧿 A little superstition often sneaks into everyday life. Evil eye, spiritual cleansing, lucky traditions, grandma's remedies, energy, prayer, herbs, depending heavily on country and family. El mal de ojo protection is pretty much known in almost all Latin cultures.
• 🌺 Strength and softness coexist. There is often a deep pride in women who nurture, hustle, protect their families, speak their minds, laugh loudly, survive hard things and somehow still make sure everybody ate.

And one I especially love:

Latinidad isn't just speaking Spanish or where you were born. It's heritage, family stories, recipes, music, humor, traditions, resilience and all those tiny things passed from one generation to the next. ❤️

The most important thing to me about being a Latina is the culture and traditions rooted in love and history and a whole lot of feistiness!

Latina energy is whole vibe! 

Cafecito ☕
Hoops ✨
Familia ❤️
Sazón 🌶️
Music 💃
Attitude 💋
& absolutely no volume control 🔊😂

What would you add to a Latina Survival Kit?

You can support your favorite Latina or Latina-owned business, not just on National Latina Day but any day by attending local networking events that support Latinas, community meetups, social media shares of a business/company owned by a Latina or sharing a Latina mom bloggers post!  #iykyk

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