Do you know the important dates on the Mexican 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.
