This time of year, all schools in Carrillo host year-end festivals called a clausura where students graduate from kindergarten, elementary school, middle and high school. Each graduating student chooses a madrina (godmother) if they are a boy, or a padrino (godfather) if they are a girl, to be their chaperone as they go up to collect their certificate.We were lucky enough to be invited to Catherine and Pedro’s daughter, Madeline’s, clausura as she graduated elementary school before starting middle school in September. We also saw some familiar faces there, as some of our Na’atik students are in the same year group.Taking place outside on the sports court at the school the first thing that struck us is that this is a big deal! So many people gather to celebrate the graduating students, with family and friends travelling across the country to be there.There were food and drinks stalls dotted around and the graduating students were all dressed up in this year’s chosen theme color – this one was pink and cream, with the girls wearing stunning pink dresses and the boys in pink shirts with cream trousers and waistcoats.There were speeches from students (we all agreed we couldn’t of done that at 11 years old!), traditional folkloric dances performed by retired teachers, a performance from the graduating students and of course the presentation of their certificates.Madeline had chosen her grandfather to be her padrino, which is adorable in itself, but later we also found out that Pedro’s father had actually founded the school back in 1972.After the ceremony we all headed back to Catherine’s in-law’s house for a party – complete with tacos and cake of course! The whole family chipped in prepping, serving, chatting, entertaining the kids, eating the amazing food and celebrating Madeline. Family is such an important part of Mexican and Maya culture and the clausura is just one of the ways we celebrate the next generation.Check out our own Na’atik end-of-year festival where our English program students from all of our classes showcased what they have learned over the past year.

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The best way to experience the Mexican lifestyle is in person, with a Na’atik Immersion experience. Not only do you live with a local Mexican-Maya family, sharing home-cooked meals and free time, but also receive expert instruction in your chosen language at our school. Best of all, every immersion experience helps fund our subsidized and free local education program, helping local students to access opportunities and make their own futures.

What is a clausura?

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