Happy Founding of Leon Day!

Leon city gate, featuring a lion on top (photo credit)

It's a holiday here today: the city is celebrating the Fundacion de Leon (Founding day of Leon). Our girls have off school, and there is a general buzz of celebration in town.

The origins of the city date back to 1576. Leon was founded on January 20th of that year, its full name listed as "Villa de Leon."



Leon on the map (photo credit)

Today, more than 400 years later, the city of Leon is a bustling metropolis, catering to the global leather industry and serving as a business center in the heart of Mexico.

While all of this is interesting, my three- and four-year-old's have other concerns about Leon, which translates as "lion" in English. A few notes from our conversations during the week regarding today's holiday:

Noelle: It's Leon's birthday?
me: Yes, on Friday, it is.
Noelle: Do tigers have birthdays too?

Trinity: Where's the lion?
me: Remember, it's the name of the city we live in, not the animal.
Trinity: We live in Leon?
me: Yes.

Trinity, several hours later: Can we make a cake for Leon's birthday?
me: Sure.
Trinity: I know which one I want to make! (followed by her grabbing our cake decorating book and opening it to the cake decorated as a lion).

So today, we are celebrating the founding of Leon by baking a birthday cake later this evening. I'm looking forward to the Leon/lion celebration - especially the eating part!