Mexico Calendar

The Mexico calendar has more than 10,000 holidays, celebrations and fiestas each year. Below are some important Mexican dates:

JANUARY

1 – New Year’s Day (Año Nuevo) – National holiday celebrated with fiestas, food, fireworks and dancing

2-12 – City of Merida Festival – A celebration of the city’s founding more than 460 years ago

6 – Day of the Three Kings (Dia de los Santos Reyes) – National holiday that marks the day the three wise men arrive in Bethlehem and brought gifts for the baba Jesus. Children receive their Christmas gifts on this day.

17- St. Anthony’s Day – A day in which Mexican’s take their pets, including dogs, cats, turtles, horses and others, to Church where the animals receive a blessing.

FEBRUARY

2 – Candlemas Day – National holiday that marks the end of the Christmas season. Mexicans celebrate with parades, fiestas and bullfights. One of the best celebrations is in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz.

5 – Constitution Day – Official holiday that celebrates the 1917 Mexico Constitution.

22-28 – Ceremony of the Pocho Dance -Tenosique, Tabasco – A fiesta marking the fact that Carnival is about to begin.

23-28 – Carnival (Carnaval) —Nationwide holiday with fiestas and celebrations that begin 5 days prior to Ash Wednesday. Lots of fireworks, parades and street dancing.

24 – Flag Day – National holiday marking the birth of the Mexican flag (1821).

MARCH

4 – Night of the Witches (Noche de Brujas) – Catemaco, Veracruz – A meeting of thousand of people seeking the healing powers of witch doctors and wizards

21 – Spring Equinox (Equinoccio de la Primavera) – Chichen-Itza,Yucatan – Gathering to watch the snake god Kukulcan’s afternoon shadow slowly crawl down the Mayan pyramid ruin El Castillo.

21 – Birth of Benito Juarez – National holiday celebrating the birth of this national hero.

APRIL

5-12 – Holy Week (from Ash Wednesday to the week after Easter Sunday) – Party time in Mexico as residents celebrate the end of Lent. Parades, processions, fireworks and parties throughout the country. A favorite activity is to break confetti-filled eggs over the heads of friends and family.

25 – San Marcos Fair – Three week fair held in Aguascalientes and featuring plenty of food, fireworks, parties, dancing, cultural events and parades. One of the best parties in Mexico.

30 -Children’s Day (Día de los Niños) – Celebrated in Mexico City and throughout the country. Children receive presents, cakes and gifts.

MAY

1 – Labor Day – National holiday celebrated with parades and fireworks. Offices close nationwide.

3 – Day of the Holy Cross – - Religious holiday with celebrations in many parts of Mexico.

5 – Cinco de Mayo – National holiday that marks the defeat of the French in Puebla in 1862.

10 – Mother’s Day – National holiday celebrating the importance of mothers.

25 – The Horse Festival – Ensenada, Baja California – A day filled with equestrian arts and events. Held in the Valley of Guadalupe, close to Ensenada. Music, wine and dancing.

JUNE

1- Navy Day – National holiday

2- Saint John the Baptist Day – Celebrated with fairs, parties and jokes about getting dunked in water

JULY

14-23 – VI Nueva Paquime Festival — Casas Grandes, Chihuahua – Art contests, workshops, parades and parties celebrating the cultures of northern Mexico.

17 and 24 – Guelaguetza – Oaxaca, Oaxaca State – Meeting of seven indigenous cultures. Traditional handicrafts from each one are displayed.

26 – National Sarape Fair (Feria Nacional de Sarape) – Santa Ana Chiautempan, Tlaxcala – The traditional Mexican “sarape” shawl is celebrated in this fair.

AUGUST

4 – Huamantla Fair (Feria de Huamantla) – Huamantla, Tlaxcala – Solemn event dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Tapestries made from flower petals are draped across churches and other buildings.

SEPTEMBER

1- State of the Union Address – National Holiday.

16 – Mexican Independence Day – National holiday celebrated with rodeos, processions, fairs and fireworks.

16 – Running of the Bulls at San Miguel – San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato – Mexico’s version of Spain’s Running of the Bulls and a celebration in honor of Saint Michael the Archangel.

29 – Day of St. Michael (Patron Saint of Horsemen) – All towns with San Miguel as part of their name celebrate with fireworks, fiestas and rodeos.

OCTOBER

4 – Day of St. Francis – Honors the Franciscan Order with dances, fireworks and music.

12 – Day of the Race (Día de la Raza) – National holiday that marks the arrival of Columbus in the Americas.

NOVEMBER

1 and 2 – Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) – National holiday that blends Catholicism and pre-Columbian beliefs about death. Families decorate graves with food and flowers.

20 – Mexican Revolution Day – Official holiday marks the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Commemorated with music, food and fireworks.

DECEMBER

12 – Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe – Celebrates Mexico’s patron saint.

16 – 24 – Las Posadas – Mexico readies for Christmas and celebrates Joseph and Mary’s search for shelter in Bethlehem. Parties and candlelight processions that end at numerous nativity scenes.

23 – Night of the Radishes – In Oaxaca, a celebration of weirdly shaped radishes.

25 – Navidad – National holiday when Mexicans celebrate Christmas.

31 – New Year’s Eve – Masses and midnight dinners are held to celebrate the New Year.