The Día del Niño (Day of the Children) is celebrated on April 30 in Mexico. As the special holiday gets closer, many look forward to bringing it to the United States by hosting family activities in libraries, parks and museums or by finding small ways to highlight the importance of children in society.
Día del Niño began in 1924 when Mexico’s then-president, Alvaro Obregon, signed the now-defunct League of Nations’ “Declaration of the Rights of the Child,” according to a nonprofit intercultural language school called Na’atik, located in Southern Mexico. The Mexican Cultural Center of Denver stated that the holiday began as a way to highlight the “wellness of the vulnerable children who were affected by war.”
Ericka Hernandez, program director and finance manager for the cultural center, said that Dia del Niño reaffirms the rights of children and is a holiday that is celebrated across the world.
“(Día del Niño) is celebrated in Mexico with a lot of joy, with families and parents usually buying a small present or something to commemorate this day for their children,” she said. “There’s not an official Día de los Niños here in the United States, so we just want to make sure we continue that tradition and to celebrate and pamper the little ones even though we’re not in Mexico.”
Hernandez lived in Mexico until she was 8 years old, and was able to experience the holiday firsthand. She remembers that there would be special activities such as little parades at school, and children would recreate the signing of the declaration. For Denver, the Mexican Cultural Center partners with museums and organizations to create an educational and fun celebration.
“The celebration’s two main purposes are the children, to enhance and pamper the little ones at home, but also to enhance that engagement with their families through educational activities,” Hernandez said.
The center’s goal, she said, is to create a sense of belonging in organizations where families may not be able to afford admission, so organizers have partnered with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the Denver Zoo and the Denver Botanic Gardens. Through the collaborations, they are able to offer discounted admission or free events. This year’s celebration on April 28 offers a 50% off admission to the Orcas exhibit, Infinity Theater and Gates Planetarium at the science museum. The center will also feature a variety of performances at the museum celebration, from dance groups such as the ballet Folklórico Sangre de México, ArtistiCO and the Bboy Factory, a hip hop dance group.
“Everything we do for the celebration is for the children,” Hernandez said. “We try to invite and have performances from diverse backgrounds and countries to join, because it’s not only for Latino children. It’s for all children.”
Although the holiday is not nationally recognized in the United States, many who celebrate, including the Mexican Cultural Center, seek to give its customs and traditions continuity in a different country and remind all children that they have a voice in the world.
“It’s important for children to know they are a key element of families,” Hernandez said. “Sometimes being the smallest member of the family, they may feel that they don’t have a voice or an important role within the family. We want to make sure that they know that they are important and that they are special.”