Rose petals top this year’s dry acequia (at left) and during a normal year (at right). Sayrah Namaste
On May 17, 2026, people gathered in Albuquerque for our annual San Ysidro Day celebration, a four-centuries old tradition to bless farmers and pray for rain. For the first time, there was no water in the acequia (communal ditch). It was so sad and heavy. But we decided to have the children toss flower petals into the empty ditch anyway. This is the stark reality of our drought.
We had our traditional procession along the dry acequia, and then we gathered for interfaith prayers: Catholic, Dine’, Muslim, Lakota and Quaker. The farming family chosen to be the 2026 Padrinos (honored hosts) happened to be Muslim, which is a first. So our interfaith ceremony was expanded to include a prayer from the Quran.
And then something incredible happened. An eagle began to circle us as we were praying. I have never seen an eagle in Albuquerque, and neither had most people there. It was stunning --we all gasped and stared at it.
The Dine’ elder spoke up and said this was a very important sign, and he needed to sing a song to the eagle with his drum. He told us the eagle was assuring us that things were going to be okay.
After the ceremony, the wind picked up very strongly and the clear blue sky began to be filled with dark rain clouds. Later that week, we were grateful to receive two days of heavy rain, which was the most rain we have received in 10 months. Many said it was an answer to our prayers.
After the ceremony, we gathered for food and fellowship. I brought a tray of baklava made by a Palestinian American friend who donates the proceeds to the people of Gaza.
Noor’s baklava Sayrah Namaste
When I picked up the baklava from her earlier that day, she asked if it was for a meeting, and I explained that it was for a ceremony and described it to her. Her face lit up, and she said that while she was making it, she had the idea to add rose petals to the top of the baklava.
Rose petals are a key part of the San Ysidro Day ceremony, and I had peeled petals off five dozen roses in preparation! It was a beautiful synchronicity, and we both felt it was very spiritual.
At the event, many people had never eaten baklava and were curious about it. They then came back for seconds because they enjoyed it so much!
So many hands go into making San Ysidro Day a success. The day before the ceremony, I spent the morning cleaning up along the Armijo Acequia in the South Valley, where the ceremony would take place. I was so grateful to my friends and a staff person from Bernalillo County who helped me.
Sayrah Namaste (left) and friends clean up the Armijo Acequia ahead of the San Ysidro Day celebration. Sayrah Namaste
We collected six bags of trash and a bucket full of broken glass. The biggest accomplishment was getting hundreds of yards of wire out of the acequia. I have no idea how it got there, and it was such a tangled, muddy mess. But we did it!
Experiences like these fill my heart with gratitude for synchronicities – and a beautiful community to share them all with.