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Mexico Events Calendar

January

Jan. 1. New Year's Day (Año Nuevo). Is a national holiday, but probably the quietest day of the year. Some towns do organize festivities, so check locally. Most Mexicans stay at home to rest from new year's eve fiestas, and only go out for the mass. In traditional indigenous communities, new tribal leaders are inaugurated with colorful ceremonies rooted in the pre-Hispanic past.

The Rosca de Reyes is only made on Jan 6th.

Jan 6. Epiphany (Día de los Reyes Magos). Marks the arrival in Bethlehem of the Wise Men (the Three Kings).The ever generous three wise men (or kings) return each year to Mexico on January 6th bearing gifts for the children. On that day, families eat the Rosca de Reyes (recipe), a round, doughnut-like cake decorated with candied fruit, which contains a hidden plastic doll. By tradition, whoever gets the slice with a doll must host a tamales-and-atole party on on February 2nd.

Jan 10-Feb 5. León Fair (Feria de León), in León. This three-week fair commemorates the founding of the city with some awesome bullfights, cockfights & games, entertainment, painting exhibits and handicraft fairs. www.ferialeon.com.mx.

Jan 17. Feast Day de San Antonio Abad. Parishoners deck pet and livestock out with flowers and ribbons and take them to church for a blessing. Most visited are the Santiago Tlatelolco Church on the Plaza of Three Cultures, the San Juan Bautista Church in Coyoacán, and the Church of San Fernando.

Jan 18. Feast of Saint Prisca (Fiesta de Santa Prisca) in Taxco, celebrating the city's patroness in the courtyard of the beautiful Church of Santa Prisca. The town comes together at dawn, with dancing, fireworks, and celebrations continuing throughout the day.

The Parachios represent the Spanish conquistadors.

Jan 23. Festival of Saint Sebastian Martyr, mostly in Guanajuato and Chiapas. In Chiapa de Corzo, a small, quiescent town straddling the Pan-American Highway in southern Mexico, celebrations last the whole week. They culminate with folkloric dances, parades of regional dresses, wigs and masks as the street fills with hundreds of "Parachicos" and "Chiapanecas".

February

Feb 2. Candlemas (Día de la Candelaría). This day is celebrated nationally with dance, food and music as well as other local festivities to mark the passing of winter. Bullfights are common in the colonial centers. In San Miguel de Allende, the Parque Juárez fills up with vendors selling spring flowers and greenery. In Cuernavaca, most of the city population regroup in the barrio of Amatitlán for a huge open-air fiesta. Parades are particularely colorful in the state of Veracruz, in and around the UNESCO World Heritage site of Tlacotalpan. The lucky one who got the plastic doll in their Rosca de Reyes (see January) will host a party on this day, serving the Mexican drink of Atole and traditional Tamales.

Feb 5. Constitution Day (Día de la Constitución). Public Holiday. Commemorates the drafting of the Mexican Constitutions of 1857 and 1917.

Feb 24. Flag Day (Día de la Bandera). National holiday honoring the Mexican flag.

March

March 13-20. Holy Week (Semana Santa), the most holy period of the religious calendar in all of Mexico, the Holy Week is celebrated to the hilt in the central Colonial cities -- Pátzcuaro, San Luis Potosí, Taxco, and San Miguel de Allende -- with live reenactments of the last weeks of the life of Jesus. Among the Tarahumara in the Copper Canyon, celebrations include pre-Hispanic rituals. Many Mexicans take vacation the whole week.

Mar 17. Saint Patrice Day (Día de San Patricio). Towns named after San Patricio, like Jalisco's San Patricio Melaque, celebrate this day with bullfights, fiestas, and fireworks.

The shadow of the plumed serpent slowly crawls down the pyramid

Mar 21. Spring Equinox in Chichen Itza. Thousands of people gather at the Mayan archeological site on the Yucatan peninsula to witness the afternoon shadow of the snake-god Kukulcan slowly "crawling down" the country's biggest Mayan pyramid, El Castillo. When the shadow reaches the bottom, the body joins the carved stone snake's head at the base of the pyramid, and marks the exact moment when the earth is fertilized, according to ancient legend. Elsewhere, equinox festivals and celebrations welcome spring with dances and parades.

Mar 21. Juarez Birthday (Día de Nacimiento de Juarez). A National Holiday marking the birthday of Benito Juárez, one of Mexico's most revered ruler. A poor Zapotec Indian from Oaxaca, Juarez became one of the most honored of Mexican presidents. Parties, dancing, music, Mexican food and good times are practiced nationwide, but especially in Oaxaca, Juarez' birthplace.

April

April 1-7. Cuernavaca Flower Fair (Feria de la Primavera). Cuernavaca's streets are lined up with flower booths and gardening competitions. At night, everyone converges to the main plaza for a sound-and-light show. Pay a visit to the famous Borda Gardens, once the residence of emperor Maximilian and his wife Carlota.

Apr 4-7: Xochimilco Festival, in Mexico City. This four-day event is held two weeks before Easter in honor of Xochipilli, the goddess of flowers, and Maculxochitl, goddess of the dance. Every year, a young woman is crowned La Flor Mas Bella del Ejido (the most beautiful flower of Ejido), and presides over colorful parades on flower-decorated barges along Xochimilco's famed canals.

Apr12-May 4. San Marcos Fair, in Aguascalientes. One of Mexico's largest fair, this three-week events features bullfights, folkloric dancing, games, cockfights, artcraft shows, cuisine and merrymaking. Much of the celebration takes place in the village of San Marcos, an 1604 Indian settlement near Aguascalientes.

Reenactments of the Crucifixion take place across the country

Apr 4-11. Semana Santa (Holy Week). The most holy period of the religious calendar in all of Mexico and celebrated to the hilt in the central Colonial cities -- Pátzcuaro, San Luis Potosí, Taxco, Zacatecas, San Cristobal de las Casas -- with live reenactments of the last weeks of the life of Jesus, from the Last Supper, the Betrayal, the Judgement, the Procession of the 12 Stations of the Cross, the Crucifixion and, finally, the Resurrection. Beginning with Palm Sunday, the week's religious celebrations include Holy Thursday and Good Friday and ends on Easter Sunday. This week is prime vacation time for Mexican families.

May

May 1. Labor Day (Día del Trabajo). National holiday. Political and labor marches with official speeches.

May 3. Holy Cross Day (Día de la Santa Cruz). On that day, every building under construction throughout the country is topped with a cross decorated with paper streamers and flowers.

May 5. Cinco de Mayo. National holiday in memory of the Mexican victory over invading French troops in the battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. A spectacular parade is organized in Puebla, during which the battle is reenacted. Banks and government offices closed.

May 15. Day of Saint Isidro, the Farmer (Día de San Isidro Labrador). In Cuernavaca, farmers from the barrio of Acapantzingo decorate their mules and oxen with flowers and take them to the church for blessing. In other towns across the country, seeds and implements are blessed before planting begins.

Late May. Cancun Jazz Festival. The three-day festival boasts all types of Jazz -- from traditional to contemporary, Afro-Latino to Flamenco and Cuban Jazz. Usually featured world-renowned Jazz artists from North America and Europe. The festival is held at locations throughout downtown, at the Parque de las Palapas and the Cancun Convention Center.

June

Jun 1. Navy Day (Día de la Marina). Celebrated in all coastal towns, with naval parades, fishing tournaments, and sailing competitions. Particularely colorful in the northern Pacific port of Topolobampo, the state of Sinaloa and the Caribbean resort of Playa del Carmen.

Mid June. Corpus Christi. This day honors the Body of Christ (the Eucharist) with processions, Masses, and food. Prized attractions include the famous Voladores, or flying pole dancers, at the Archaeological site of El Tajin. In Mexico City, celebrations centre around the Zocalo, Cathedral and National Palace, where children dressed as Indians and carrying decorated baskets of fruit for the priest's blessing gather with their parents.

Jun 24. St. John the Baptist Feast (Fiesta de San Juan Bautista). A popular nationwide holiday marked by Serenades, parades, pilgrimages and fireworks.

Jun 29. St. Peter and St. Paul Day (Dia de San Pedro y San Pablo), nationawide wherever St. Peter is the patron saint, but most lively in San Pedro Tlaquepaque near Guadalajara. Mariachis parades, traditional dances and parades with floats.

July

Third and last Monday of July. Guelaguetza or “Lunes del Cerro”, (Monday on the Hill) celebrated throughout the state of Oaxaca on the 2 Mondays following the birthday of Benito Juárez, in late July. Starting in 1932, as Oaxaca celebrated its 400th anniversary, groups from many regions of the state have performed native dances in traditional costumes. The original event, of pre-Hispanic origin, enacted reciprocal gift-giving and ceremonies in honor of the Corn Goddess. Nowadays, most of the parades take place in the city's amphitheater.

August

Aug 1-15. International Chamber Music Festival, in San Miguel de Allende. Features international award-winning classical music ensembles.

Aug 13. Fall of Tenochtitlán, Mexico City. Reenactment of the last battle of the Spanish Conquest in Tlatelolco, whose ruins are now part of the Plaza of Three Cultures. Ceremonies there and at the Cuauhtémoc monument on Reforma commemorate the surrender of the last Aztec king, Cuauhtémoc, to Cortez.

Aug 15: Assumption of the Virgin Mary is celebrated nationwide with religious processions. The picturesque town of Huamantla, near Puebla, gets its share of fame on that day for its annual festival, with Special masses and processions. Every road of the city is brightly decorated with flower petals and colored sawdust, to look as if carpeted, and att midnight on August 15, a statue of the Virgin is carried through the streets. And to put some animation, a dozen of 15,000 pounds bulls are let free in the streets the following day. In Santa Clara del Cobre, near Pátzcuaro, Our Lady of Santa Clara de Asis and the Virgen de la Sagrado Patrona are honored with a parade of floats, dancers on the main square, and an exposition of regional crafts. Make reservations well in advance, or plan to stay in Puebla and commute to the festivities

September

Sep 1-15. Mariachi Festival in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The birthplace of mariachi music liven up with hundreds of public concerts, some by famous mariachi groups from around the world. The Degollado Theater will be jammed to the rafters for several gala councerts, thousands will pack the city center to see the boisterous, colorful opening parade, and a rare, mystical atmosphere will be created as the strains of trumpets, violons and guitarrons filter through the Guadalajara and Zapopan cathedrals at special midday masses. Workshops and lectures will focus on the history, culture, and music of the mariachi in Mexico.

Sept 15-16. Independence Day (Dia de la Independencia) widely celebrated throughout Mexico with fireworks and parties that outblast those on New Year's Eve. At midnight, the President of the Republic shouts the Cry (El Grito) of "Viva Mexico" from the balcony of the National Palace - an event televised and broadcast on radio to every corner of the nation, as Mexicans cry back with "Viva!" in an emotion-packed traditional annual ritual. The Zocalo in Mexico City brims and buzzes with sheer excitement and most government buildings are draped in the national colors. Celebrations are particularly lively at the revolutionary Colonial centres, especially Queretaro and San Miguel de Allende - important and significant places before, during and after the war of Independence from Spain. A great time to be in Mexico if you like parties and a buzzing atmosphere. Be careful of burachos (drunkers) though.

October

Most of Oct. Festival Cervantino (Cervantino Festival), in Guanajuato. A well-known and attended cultural festival, with the participation of more than 35 countries. Held every October since 1970, it features theater, dance, music, film and opera, taking full advantage of Guanajuato's wealth of performance venues. Many events are free, like the spectacular medieval parades from Plazuela San Roque to the Alhondiga. www.festivalcervantino.gob.mx.

All Month. October Parties (Fiestas de Octubre) in Guadalajara. Throughout the month, the city organizes a series of festivities, during which a great variety of events take place, such as art exhibitions, concerts, dances, indigenous and folk dancing, bullfights, cockfights, serenades, fireworks, rodeos, and all sorts of shows. Countless Mariachi from all over the country gather in Guadalajara, the birthplace of Mariachi music, for improvised, open-air concerts. Festivities end on the last day of the month.

November

Nov 1-2. Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos). A typically Mexican tradition with its roots in Aztec legends, the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Deads) is a two-day festivity when families celebrate their dead relatives. During the first two days of November, family pay a visit to the graves of their lost one, decorating it with flowers, primarily large, bright flowers such as marigolds and crysanthemums, and with religious amulets. The most famous celebration takes place on Janitzio, an island on Lake Pátzcuaro. Mixquic, a mountain pueblo south of Mexico City, hosts an elaborate street fair, and around 11pm on both nights solemn processions lead to the cemetery in the center of town. Cemeteries around Oaxaca are well known for their solemn vigils, and some for their Carnaval-like atmosphere. more info

Nov 5-15. Fiestas de Mar. Puerto Vallarta's biggest event features a sailing regatta and the Governor's Golf Tournament, as well as on-going art festivals, and an outstanding gourmet dining contest.

Nov 29-Dec 6. National Silver Fair, Taxco. A competition of Mexico's best silversmiths and some of the world's finest artisans. Also features concerts, dances, and fireworks.

December

Dec 12. Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe. An important national holiday dedicated to Mexico's patroness, who appeared to a young indian, Juan Diego, on the hill of Tepeyac in 1531 and became the beloved saint of the Indians all over Mexico. It's customary for children to dress up as Juan Diego, wearing mustaches and red bandanas. Special masses and processions take place nationwide, with a huge mass at the Basilica de Guadalupe (where the original image is hosted) in Mexico City. Puerto Vallarta also hosts special masses and a magnificent procession between December 1st and December 12th.

Dec 16-25. The Posadas. On each of the 9 nights before Christmas, it's customary to reenact Mary and Joseph's search for an inn. Door-to-door candlelit processions pass through cities and villages nationwide, especially Querétaro and Taxco.

December 18: Virgin of Solitude (Virgin de la Soledad). One of the most elaborate religious festivals in Oaxaca City, held in celebration of the cult of the patron saint of the city. The church is filled with flowers, banners, candles and worshipers who come from all over the area. It is a glorious spectacle of profound religious sentiment, light and beauty. There are processions, fireworks and a big markets in the Alameda and plaza by the Soledad Church.

Dec 23: Night of the Radishes (Noche de los Rábanos), are unique to Oaxaca. On the Zocalo is held a horticulture exhibition whose highlight are small figures carved form radishes. There are contests and prizes for the most original arrangements.

Dec 24. Chrismas Eve (Navidad). Family convenes in a single home for a night of feasting, dancing and singing. The evening starts with the last posada, a reenactment of Mary and Joseph's search for a place to rest. Solemn procession leave from various churches, carrying candles or sparklers (luces de bengal) and head for the house of the “godmother” of the Baby Jesus while singing and dancing. They pick him up and parade him in a bright procession of multicolored carriages, walking until they reach the city Zócalo (main square). After that, they return to the churches where they began, and place the Baby Jesus in the crib. After-dinner comes the ritual of piñata slaying. A piñata is a three dimensional clay and paper star, filled with goodies such as sweets, fruits and nuts. The piñata is suspended from a rope and swung around. The whole family then takes turn to try to break open the piñata with a stick, after having been blind-folded.