One day I asked my host family over lunch what the phrase is for “Give birth.” My mom responded with: “Dar la luz.”
I almost lost my mind. “Dar la luz?” Well first of all, I was actually wrong because it is “Dar a luz” and I misheard.
So I will repeat:
The translation for “give birth” in Spanish is actually “Dar a luz.” The direct translation is to “give a light.” It is not just a metaphor, it is the actual translation.
Now hold the phone.
Por un lado, I’m not surprised. It’s apt because mothers are revered in this society, because Jesus was the Light of the World and Mother Mary is the utmost mother so if you give birth you are giving a light, too, and because motherhood is not only an expectation, it’s simply a reality for women here in Guaté. So there will always be ample visibility.
Por otra parte: Really, Spanish? Dar a luz? Like a lamp? Like electricity?
If it were more of a choice to be a mother, maybe it would be ‘dar a piano’ or something. But it’s a little more relaxed, a little more simple, a little more happens-ever-day: so it’s dar a luz.
But what do the doctors say when they are giving directions? “Okay she is ready to push, she is about to dar a luz. Apply sunglasses!”
AND OKAY YES I ADMIT IT, it’s schmalzy but damn is it beautiful! It’s beautiful that they use that term here.
– – – – – –
When I received my nahual, my Mayan spirit based on my birthday, guess what it was? Luz.
I’d been crapping on “dar a luz” for at least a week and this shut me up real quick. And what’s more, I told my host mom that I didn’t want to have my own babies because there are enough in the world. She told me, that is the most wonderful thing you can do as a woman! Before you feminists flip tables, please remember that we are speaking from a different context here..
I showed my nahual to my host family and we laughed and laughed.
“Ajpu is the light and is the representation of the Grandfather of Sun. It means archer, hunter, shooter and walker. It is the regenerative force, the cycle of life, the capacity to have the entire galaxy.”
Shoot.