¡Hoy es jueves jovial! (Today is jovial Thursday!)
La fecha es el tres (3) de marzo del año dos mil veintidós. (The date is March 3, 2022.)
Juguemos a la lotería mexicana. (Let’s play Mexican lotería.)
La lotería mexicana is also referred to as Mexican bingo. It’s traditionally played by families during the holidays. Each player chooses a 4X4 grid of pictures called a tabla. The cantor (caller) chooses a card from the deck of 54 cards with pictures that match those on the tablas. The original deck has a matching verse to describe each of the cards, so the cantor can say the verse to indicate which card was selected. If a player has the corresponding picture on their tabla, they place a marker on it. The first player to fill their card or complete a previously agreed upon pattern must shout “¡Buena!” or “¡Lotería!” to win.
There is a traditional lotería card deck, other versions have been created. I had the privilege of playing with some close friends this past New Year’s. The version we played was called Millenial Lotería. It was entertaining to see iconic figures and cultural nuances of our generation featured.
Para jugar a la lotería mexicana necesitamos: (To play Mexican lotería, we need:)
| Por los menos dos jugadores | (at least 2 players) (note that the more the merrier for this game) |
| tablas | (game boards) |
| piezas | (game pieces/markers) |
To learn more details about la lotería mexicana, read this guide.
¡Que tengas un jueves jubiloso! (May you have a jubilant Thursday!)
L. A. Feliz