I had a conversation about proverbs they had learned from their families with three female employees at a local taco shop during one of the less busy times of the day. Mercedes Rodriguez, 42, Maria Lopez, 23, and Rosalba Valdez, 18 each consider themselves Mexican. Rosalba was the only one born in the United States, though she is a second generation immigrant. Rosalba’s father uses this proverb to describe her. She tends to be quiet during the day but is energetic at night. It is generally used to describe a person who is very quiet and inactive during the day, at school or at work, but has a lot of energy and is ready to go for excitement at night.
Eres como la linterna, nomás de noche brillas.
Transliteration: You are like the lantern that sparkles at night only.
Translation: You are a night owl.
This proverb actually paints being energetic at night, though at the cost of productivity during the day, as a good quality that “sparkles.”