Life's a Beach | Expat Life in Playa del Carmen

This morning, students, parents, teachers and friends of the Ak Lu'um International School community gathered by the ruins in Playacar Phase 1 to mark the beginning of Spring. The Spring or Vernal Equinox was an important and pivotal point in the yearly calendar of our ancient Maya. All indigenous cultures are solar in origin and follow the solstices and equinoxes. As we now know, many of these civilizations built profound and complex structures, utilizing advanced geometry and astronomy, to map these cycles. Each year the school comes together to recognize and celebrate the rites of Spring and the significance of this natural transition in the rhythms of not only the sun and the seasons but also the rhythms present in ourselves.

With the students and parents dressed all in white, the scene is always dramatic yet serene. The children played flutes and simple percussion pieces and sang a lovely song in Mayan to welcome the spring. It is nearly impossible not to be affected by the surroundings and the energy of the moment.