Youth in Mexico

After a pleasant day on Sunday we decided to drive down the malecon and see if anything was open for our dining pleasure. The walkway and the streets were relatively quiet for a Sunday evening but we saw that our favorite restaurant for tacos was open and doing business. The captain swung through a U-turn and we found a place to park right in front of Rancho Viejo. The setting sun was shining directly on the sidewalk seating and we walked though the kitchen toward the stairwell hoping for upstairs seating.  A waiter waved his towel and said "caliente" and pointed up; we changed our minds and direction and went back outside.  We ordered cold beverages and sat in the quiet early evening examining the menu and trying to decide if we should order "the usual" or if anything looked better than our usual choices.
Just about the time the waiter came to take our order, a flatbed truck holding a large number of teens in matching t-shirts drove up the malecon toward us.  There were enormous speakers on board blasting music and the teens were clapping, singing and dancing enthusiastically.  Before we could ask, "What's the occasion?" we saw that the truck was followed by an even bigger group of teens, on foot;they were also singing and dancing and carrying signs, most of which had "CHRISTO" on them.  And this was just the beginning of a long parade with well over a thousand young people, all singing along with the loud music the Mexicans seem to love so well!  As it turns out, the parade ended across the street at the huge courtyard and pier on the water. First one group, then another moved to a stage and the teens took turns singing and cheering each other on.
I was pretty sure I knew what this was all about, but I asked our waiter, ?Que festival? and he replied, "Resurreccion!" The enthusiasm of this enormous group was contagious and it was truly inspiring to watch them, not understanding all of the lyrics yet feeling the passion of these young people.
We have found children and teens here in the Baja to be uniformly friendly and polite, and the older ones often try to engage us in conversation for the "English" experience. I'm sure there are obnoxious teens and bratty toddlers here as there are anywhere in the world, but we have enjoyed the ease with which these youngsters interact with us while always maintaining respect.
This is not the first time we have seen teens out in large numbers.  In late fall and through the winter they were out in droves handing out materials and attending rallies for their favorite political candidates. We were surprised then to see how passionate they were while maintaining order at all times. They do like their music to be LOUD but it's happy music.
Still, while waiting for Larry in the car outside a bank last week, I observed a Mom with two teenage girls standing in front of a store.  The Mom was tight lipped and looking angry. I was sure one of the girls was saying, "But Mom!", as her sister rolled her eyes and gave a sympathetic glance.  Ahhh, now that's what I call normal.