Hispanics making own Thanksgiving niche in U.S.

— As Americans clog Little Rock streets and stores in a pre-Thanksgiving rush, Rafael Martinez sat next to quiet tortilla-making machinery at Tortilleria Brenda on West 65th Street.

Business won’t spike during the U.S. holiday - Thanksgiving isn’t celebratedin Latin America.

“It’s the same,” said Martinez, a native of the Mexican state of Guanajuato.

There isn’t any one way that Hispanics celebrate Thanksgiving in the U.S., said Lilia Hernandez, director of religious education at St. Edward Catholic Church in Little Rock.

Some have turkey.

Others tamales. Some prefer the U.S.’ traditional pumpkin and apple pies. Others chocolate cake. What is similar is the gathering of loved ones for a shared day of family time, she said.

“The most important thing is to stay together on that day,” Hernandez said.

The Rev. Jason Tyler, pastor at St. Edward, said he hasnoticed some differences in “Dia del Pavo,” or Turkey Day. For one, the birds are often spicier.

“Turkey doesn’t make it into Mexican cuisine that much. I’ve asked my Spanish-speaking parishioners if they make ‘pavo con chile.’ They blush and chuckle and say, ‘Yes, we do.’”

Another staple of turkeyday is football. There are the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions and a rotating cast of NFL opponents shown on television. Tyler said, judging from his Facebook account, many of his Hispanic parishioners have become fans of U.S. football.

“It’s gaining ground,” he said.

Martinez and Hernandez both said most people they know prefer soccer on Thanksgiving, but it’s up to chance if a game will be shown on television because Thursday in Mexico “will just be another working day,” Hernandez said.

But soccer will likely be played in Little Rock. The MexArk “liga de futbol” (soccer league) held a Thanksgiving Day tournament last year with 16 teams from around the state, including Rogers, Fort Smith and Pine Bluff, competing for a trophy.

Nicknamed “El Torneo del Pavo” - the Turkey Tourney - the event has become a fixture on the November calendar,according to El Latino, a local Spanish-language newspaper.

St. Edward will have a Thanksgiving Mass. Every year many Hispanic church members attend, Tyler said.

Iglesia Bautista Nueva Jerusalen in Little Rock organized a traditional Thanksgiving feast for churchgoers and guests Wednesday night: Turkey, ham and the trimmings, with pumpkin pie for dessert.

But the Spanish-speaking Southern Baptists planned to worship as well.

About 40 people were expected to attend.

“As a Christian, every day is a day for Thanksgiving,” said Abel Martinez, the church’s pastor. “It’s a day to give thanks to God for all he has given to us - for life and food and health and most of all, as a Christian, salvation in Christ.”

Arkansas, Pages 15 on 11/22/2012

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