My Big Fat Cuban Family

My Big Fat Cuban Family

Cuban recipes, family, heritage, and culture.

What Do You Call Your Mami?

By

UPDATE 5/4/2022 – WINNER!!

Congratulations to Arlene Villarin who won the “Mima” Mother’s Day Box from Albisa Candles! 

Please send me your physical address so I can forward to them and get your fragrant goodies to you! 

Thanks to all who participated! 

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My mom. Luz Aurora Verdés lived to be 103. 

I called her Mami for the first dozen years of my life and then, she had grandchildren. The oldest of these, Annette, liked the sound of her abuela’s name. And she tried to say it all the time. “Luz-Au-baba” is how it came out most of the time. Until eventually it was shortened to just “Luza.” And everyone, including myself and my siblings called her Luza for the rest of her long life. 

This coming Mother’s Day, I was thinking: what do other people call their mamas? And then I saw a post from my favorite candle-makers, Albisa Candles (Home of the Cuban Bread Candle – believe it). 

They were sharing their newest scent: “Mima.” 

From their site:

Mima

My grandmother would always tell me “if you want to give me flowers, do it while I’m here on earth”

So I thought this is the perfect way to honor her and all of our Mima’s with this beautiful gardenia scented candle.

Perfect for anyone who nurtures your soul with love.

The Mother’s Day gift box includes:

1 – Mima Candle (Gardenia)

1- Mima Body Balm (Gardenia)

1- Mima Room + Linen Spray (Gardenia)

1- Mother’s Day card 4″ x 6″ in size. (No Envelope)

Box Dimensions: 8 x 6 x 4″

Note: This set is packaged as a gift set and is not currently sold separately.

The smell of Gardenias!! In a beautiful gift set! 

And because Mother’s Day is coming soon, I reached out to my favorite Cuban candle people, Albisa Candles and they’ve generously agreed to sponsor a giveaway for My Big Fat Cuban Family readers.

Did you catch that? See this beautiful Box of Cuban Scented Mima Goodness? I’m giving one away to a lucky MBFCF Reader. 

However, if your taste in florals goes more to the this-baby-smells-like-heaven side, there is also the “Mother’s Day Violetas Gift Box.” (My guest room and bath get a daily dose of the Violetas spray and it’s divine!) 

Here’s how to enter the giveaway for ONE Mima (or Violetas!) Mother’s Day Gift Set : Leave a comment and answer one or all of the following questions. 

  1. What do you call your mami? 
  2. What do you call your abuela?
  3. Gardenia or Violetas?  

Leave a comment here on this post to enter. Also, let me tell you how you can have a second chance to win this beautiful gift box:

  1. Go over to Instagram and “like” Albisa Candles – then come back HERE and leave the comment: “I liked Albisa Candles on Instagram!” (I’m going on the honor system here, but I’ll do a few spot checks to make sure you’re following directions.)

No cheating now. Mami will KNOW. 

I feel like you’re going to love following them anyway, so it’s a win for both of us. 

NOTE: I’ve got comment moderation switched on, so I’ll be approving comments, por si el spam. Ya tu sabes. (Full Disclosure: the winner probably won’t receive this in time for Mother’s Day, but I sure hope you’ll enter anyway. And shop for all the moms in your life, por favor.)

I’ll choose a winner on Wednesday, May the 4th, 2022 at 11:00 am.

You might also like:

Albisa’s Cafe con Leche Candle is All About Comfort Albisa Candles – Home of the Cuban Bread Mami Likes/Loves Cafe La Llave – A Giveaway Mami Loves Cuban Coffee – A Giveaway

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jeanette Harris says

    1. Mima
    2. Never met my paternal grandmother (passed away years before I was born). Maternal grandmother – met her once when I went to Cuba in 1979. Her name was Crispína, so I called her “Pime”
    3. Will be gifting this to my Mima, so “Gardenia”

  3. Sarah Artis says

    Ayyyyy, Mother’s Day. The most bittersweet holiday for me. As a Mom, I celebrate getting the honor & privilege to have this title. However, my Abuela, whom I affectionately called “Mima”, the queen of my heart, raised me as her own. Fun fact: when I was 4-5 years old, I briefly called her “Coño!”, because every time my Tía yelled it out, Mima responded instantly. I figured it must be her name. They thought it was cute for awhile, but eventually had to correct me.

    My beautiful Mima departed in 2016, just 2 months shy of her 95th birthday. If it weren’t for my Mima stepping in to raise me, Lord knows where I’d be or how my life would have turned out. I think of her every day and owe everything I am, and contribute all of my accomplishments, to her.

    Thank you for letting me share with you about my amazing Mima. Mi angel de la guardia. ?

    Oh, and gardenias— because they remind me of her. She loved the smell of gardenias. Violetas does remind me of my kids bath time when they were little. Both scents are heartwarming and nostalgic.

    I like and follow Albisa on Instagram ?

    Happy Mother’s Day to you, too! ♥️

  4. Maria Eugenia Aguirre says

    Sadly, both my mom and grandmother are gone but they were Mami and Abuela to me. I miss them both terribly.
    I prefer Gardenias. It is my favorite scent.
    Love your blog Marta!! Happy Mother’s Day!!

  5. Keyla says

    What do you call your mami? MAMI
    What do you call your abuela? ABUELA
    Gardenia or Violetas? GARDENIAS

    My kids call me mami,,they call my mom ABUELA, my mother in law, ITA for abuelita. ????

  6. Carmela C. says

    I called both my mother and grandmother, Mami and Abuela. Abuela passed over 30 yrs ago and Mami not that long ago. This year will be the 2nd Mother’s Day without Mami. Oh how I miss her! Mother’s Day is certainly not the celebrated holiday I remember, but I definitely have wonderful memories of it because of two beautiful, strong and well loved women that God chose to bless me with. ❤️

    I love the smell of gardenias and violetas. Both I remember from childhood and my Mami loved violetas too!!

    P.S. I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day with your family. Enjoy!!

  10. Yesenia says

    My mom I call Mami. My abuela everyone called her Mima. Sadly she passed away 2 years ago. She loved the smell of gardenias. This would be a perfect gift for my Mami ❤️

  12. Esther says

    Both my mom and grandmother are gone, but not from my heart.
    1) My mom’s name was always ‘Mami’
    2) My abuela was ‘Abuela’
    3) My mother’s favorite flower was actually Gardenias so that’s what I will choose to remember such wonderful woman.
    I have enjoyed your page and blog for many years and particularly when your precious mom was part of it. Our Cuban moms were very special and loving, strong and very unique with many talents.
    Will like the IG page you recommended.
    Happy Mothers Day Marta!! ❤️❤️

  13. Jeannette says

    1 – mom
    2 – Mima. All of my friends called her Mima too!
    3 – Gardenia scent. I gifted this to my mom last year in memory of our Mima.

  15. Karla avera says

    I call her Mami!
    The scent of gardenias reminds me of the tree she had growing outside of my bedroom window. She would pick gardenias for me often and leave them in my room.

  17. Michelle Pelayo says

    1. Ma
    2. Cita (from mamacita)
    3. Gardenias (my paternal grandmother had a Gardenias tree in her yard at her Miami home between 8th st and Flagler). She also had a Jasmine tree next to her front door. I remember smelling them as I walked in and out of her house

  18. Elizabeth says

    1. I’ve called my mother “mom” since as far back as I can remember. Perhaps when I was very small she was “mami.”
    2. Since my grandmother was in Cuba and we were here, I sadly didn’t call her anything except for “tu mamá” when speaking to my mother about her. Relationships with family are one of the biggest things the Castro regime took from us.
    3. I’d love either of these scents but will pick violetas!

  21. Miriam Labella says

    1. Mami
    2. Abuela
    3. Violetas

    My children called me Mommy, then Mom, and now that the grandchildren are here, I will forever be Aba ❤️

  22. Tina Brose says

    I call my 92 year old Mom, Mama. Almost everyone else calls her Eta instead of grandma. Her favorite flower is gardenias.

  24. Lourdes S. says

    1) My mom was called “Mima”
    2) My abuela was “Abuelita”
    3) Our family loved VIOLETAS mixed with Holy Water “para el despojo.” Ya tu sabes! 😉

    (A bit late: Read over your old posts and so deeply happy you’re well.
    Covid took so, so many in NYC.)
    God Bless. Big hug.
    Thanks, Marta.

  25. Mbg says

    1. Mami
    2. Maternal, Abuela
    paternal, Yaya
    3. Gardenia, we had gardenias as a child and my Yaya love the smell. In her honor…

  26. Betty Marsenison says

    I liked Albisa candles on Instagram. Yes I did! I call my mom, Mami, my kids call her Aba (I used to call mine Abuela & Yeya) and I think we’d like gardenia sent.

  28. Lydia Weeks says

    1. (I occasionally still call her Mami) but everyone mostly calls my mother Gima- (first grandchild tried to say “grandma” but it came out “Gima.” It stuck. Even friends of us 4 siblings and friends of grandchildren call her Gima! She’s 96 years old now and still enjoying life. ❤️
    2. Abuela
    3. Violetas

  31. Tp says

    Traditional names here: Mami for my mother and Abuela for my Dad’s mother (the only Abuela I knew). Both are gone now, so Mother’s Day is bittersweet. But I am a Mom and a step-Mom to five and a proud Abuela now so tradition lives on…my granddaughter calls me “Aba”. You know what they say, “Only the best Mom’s get promoted to Abuela” so I’ll wear that title proudly! Gardenia’s always remind me of my Mom. She loved growing them in her garden so this beautiful, fragrant flower will always remind me of her! Maybe I’ll make flan this year in honor of my Abuela who taught me how to make it. Sweet memories!

  32. Anna Norton says

    1. I have always called my mom, “Mami”. <3
    2. Having been born in the US, I never met either one of my Abuelas, as my maternal grandmother died in Cuba when my mom was a young girl, and my maternal grandmother died in Cuba shortly after I was born in NJ (I am named after her). However, as the child of immigrants, I had many Abuelas growing up, women that my mom met working the agriculture fields in Cuba or at church or in our neighborhood (which was comprised of many Cubans). I always called these women "Abuelita". I had an Abuelita Goya, Abuelita Bella, Abuelita Aleida, and so on.
    3.And while I love Violetas, I have to side with Gardenia!

  35. Arlene Villarin says

    1) mami
    2) my maternal grandmother- abuelita. She never left the island. I met her at the age of 7 when The first Flights from the US to Cuba were allowed. I had never met her except when I’d hear her sweet voice on the rare occasion of a long distance phone call. When I saw her I wrapped my arms around her, kissed and her cried. I felt the love and the immediate connection. My mom called her mom “mima”. I love the name is this candle and Gardenia is a family favorite. My mom and her mima are together in heaven.
    3) Gardenias

  39. Jennifer Vidal Usatorres says

    I call my mom Mom, Mami or Mommy Dearest haha. My grandma, I called her abuela. My daughter called her Tata ? They loved each other so much. It was an awesome bond ❤️
    Always put Violetas on my babies!

  41. CC says

    1. Lost my Mom just before Mothers Day of 2006
    2. I had a “Nana” and a “Granny”
    3. Violets

  42. Rebekah g says

    I call my mom, mami y mi abuela, abuela o abueluchi now that the first great grandchild is born.

    I also have like Albisa candles on Instagram! Best Cuban bread smell that i wish I could eat lol!