“Relajo” When my Family Gets Together

Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Target. All opinions are my own.

Whenever I think about family, as in our bigger, extended family, all the best times seem to revolve around our relajos.  For the uninitiated, a “relajo” is what happens to our get-together when abuelos house gets full. it’s one of those Spanish words “sin traducción”, or without translation. So, I’ll try to explain. If you are picturing a family party where the host tells you to come at a certain time, dinner is eaten around a table or two in an orderly fashion, and there is a defined end to your gathering – you are NOT imagining a relajo. This hispanic untranslatable word is really a “messy” gathering of friends and family. No set start time, no set end, and definitely no structure what-so-ever.. Relajo literally means relax and this is certainly a relaxed gathering with the important people in your life – and we Guatemalans love our relajos!

For Hispanic Heritage month we are, very much so, looking forward to un GRAN relajo. This year we hope to have the grandparents and cousins all together. These relajos are crucial to keeping the family bonds strong, no matter where on earth we have scattered, and giving everyone time to just be together and enjoy one another’s company. And really, there’s nothing that makes a parent or grandparent happier than watching cousins playing together and knowing that the family closeness will be passed down through another generation.

For this relajo we are planning on cooking up  Guatemalan Enchiladas– it’s a family recipe everyone looks for at our relajos.  And the kids will be sporting some new outfits from Target, which they are excited to show off.. The recipe I’m including below is my mother’s, and her mother’s before (maybe even a few more mothers back). We will be cooking it for our relajo, and everyone is looking forward to it, almost as much as the gathering itself.

If you liked learning about “Relajos”, a Spanish word for which there is no translation #SinTraduccion  and want to dive a bit deeper into everything Hispanic, join us on social media using the hashtag.  We will be sharing other words “without translations” for Hispanic Heritage month. You can also learn how to throw your own “relajo” or pick up some other Hispanic traditions here, recipes and culture you can incorporate into your own family traditions.

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Cesar Diaz

Cesar is a freelance graphic designer with more than 15 years of experience in the advertising world.He is the creative force behind GrowingUpBilingual.com and 365thingsswfl.com.2 year ago he gave up his steady job so he could spend more time at home and be more involved in his kid's lives. He loves sharing tips to maintain a healthier lifestyle both at home and while traveling. He likes to cook low calorie meals with a Latino touch, specially if they are on the grill. He is a techie, a carnivore and a fitness buff not necessarily in that order. During his free time he enjoys mountain biking, working out at the gym, watching movies and traveling with his family.

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