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Pick any day of the year. There’s probably a fiesta or festival taking place somewhere in Mexico. Most Mexicans are Roman Catholics.
Many of these holidays are connected with that religion. More people are embracing other Christian faiths, but Catholic traditions remain important. Every village and town has a yearly fiesta that honors its local patron saint. Other holidays mark events in Mexico’s struggle for independence.
▲ Mexican Independence Day is September 16. On this date, Father Hidalgo started the revolt against the Spanish. He rang the church bells to gather the townspeople. Then he gave a speech that ended with a famous call to revolution known as the Cry of Dolores.
No one knows just what Father Hidalgo said. But on the eve of every Independence Day, at 11 p.m., Mexico’s president gives a speech from the National Palace in Mexico City. He repeats these words: Viva Mexico, viva la independencia (“Long live Mexico, long live independence”). He then rings the same bell that Hidalgo rang. A huge crowd echoes the words. Throughout Mexico, town mayors do the same. Like people in the U.S. on the Fourth of July, Mexicans light fireworks – red, white, and green, the colors of the Mexican flag. ▶
▲ The 40 days before Easter are known as Lent. In earlier times, many Catholics spent these days fasting. Today, before Lent starts, some Mexicans celebrate with a festival called Carnival. This festival is very popular in the state of Veracruz. People dress up and hold parades with fireworks and colorful floats. Children have pretend battles with flowers or empty eggshells.
▲ A holiday called the Day of the Dead may seem sad or spooky. But it’s a fun time like Halloween. Children and adults wear masks or dress up as ghosts, skeletons, or witches. People buy toy skeletons or sugar skull candies. In some places in Mexico, kids even participate in Halloween, a blend of old and new influences.
The Day of the Dead is celebrated around All Saints Day, on November 1 and 2. On those days, some Mexicans honor dead relatives by visiting their graves. Families clean the tombstones. They put fresh flowers on them. They may place some of the person’s favorite foods near the grave. Or they place them on altars at home. This custom dates back to the ancient Indians. They believed that on this day the spirits of the dead come back to the world. Families light sweet-smelling candles and burn incense to lead the spirits back. Some people spend all night at the graveyard, having picnics and talking about their loved ones. ▶
▲ The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe takes place on December 12. In Mexico City, thousands of people gather to celebrate this holiday. Some of them walk a long way to visit the church that’s dedicated to her. They pray for help with illnesses and family problems. They may also give thanks for prayers that have been answered.
▲ When Christmas comes, Mexicans wish each other Feliz Navidad. In Spanish, that means “Merry Christmas.” Mexican children get presents on January 6. That’s the day the three wise men brought gifts for Jesus. The night before, children put their shoes outside the door. They place a bowl of water for the wise men’s camels next to their shoes. When they wake up the next morning, the water is gone – and their shoes are full of gifts!
