In Oaxaca a special celebration known as La Samaritana takes place on the fourth Friday of Lent (this year on February 29). Aguas frescas, refreshing fruit drinks, and ice cream are given out free to passersby. Originally this was done in church atriums, but now schools and businesses also join in. This tradition is inspired by the biblical passage that describes Jesus' encounter with a Samaritan woman at a well (John 4).

The Día de la Samaritana is a great time to sample traditional Mexican drinks such as horchata, a drink made with rice and flavored with cinnamon, and agua de jamaica, made with dried hibiscus flowers, as well as many other refreshing drinks made from fruit.

_{Photo © Suzanne Barbezat}