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MEXICO'S FIESTA & HOLIDAY CALENDAR
(Compiled by Dale Hoyt Palfrey)
Fiestas abound in Mexico. The following listing of major holidays, by no means complete, is intended to help the newcomer to Mexico understand the motive for hearing rockets blasting off at dawn, finding a local bank or post office closed on a weekday, or encountering traffic brought to a halt by a passing parade or religious procession.
Every village and each parochial sector of the nation's larger towns and cities has a designated a holy personage in whose honor fiestas patronales are held annually. In most cases such festivities take the form of a novenario, a nine-day celebration with unique characteristics that are traditional to each locality.
Many religious celebrations have their roots in the pre-Hispanic era, while most civic holidays reflect modern historical events. Government offices, banks, schools and some businesses close across the nation for major national holidays. Such shut-downs may also occur during important religious celebrations in individual localities. Essential commerce, however, is rarely suspended, so most market places, supermarkets and small family-operated grocery stores generally open for business every day year-round.
(See also the Mexico Connect Food Festival Calendar)
Dates are annotated as follows:
** National holiday (non-working days) are in Bold Type
* National holiday commemoration
+ Religious holiday (fixed date)
++ Moveable feast (date varies year to year)
+* Local festival or holiday
- ENERO (January)
- FEBRERO (February)
- MARZO (March)
- ABRIL (April)
- MAYO (May)
- JUNIO (June)
- JULIO (July)
- AGOSTO (August)
- SEPTIEMBRE (September)
- OCTUBRE (October)
- NOVIEMBRE (November)
- DICIEMBRE (December)
ENERO (January)
(Mes dedicado al Santísimo Nombre de Jesús
Month dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus)
- 1: Año Nuevo (New Year's Day) **
- 6: Los Santos Reyes (Three Kings Day) +
- 17: San Antonio Abad - (St. Anthony) Blessing of the Animals +
- 18: Santa Prisca, (Patron Saint of Taxco, Gro.) +*
- 20: San Sebastián (St. Sebastian the Martyr)+
FEBRERO (February)
- 2: Día de la Candelaria (Candlemas) +
- 5: Aniversario de la Constitución (Constitution Day) *
- 14: Día de la Amistad/San Valentín (Valentine's Day)*
- 24: Día de la Bandera (Flag Day)*
MARZO (March)
(Mes dedicado al culto de Señor San José
Month dedicated to the worship of Saint Joseph)
- Four days preceding Ash Wednesday: Carnival (Mardi Gras)
- Martes de Carnival (Shrove Tuesday) ++
- Miércoles de Ceniza (Ash Wednesday) ++
- 8: San Juan de Dios (St. John of God) +
- 17: San Patricio, (St. Patrick, Patron Saint of San Patricio Melaque, Jal.) +*
- 18: Expropiación Petrolera (Nationalization of Petroleum Industry)
- *
- 19: Día de San José (St. Joseph's Day)+
- 21: Natilicio de Benito Juárez (Benito Juarez' Birth)**
ABRIL (April)
Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) ++
Index to Easter in Mexico
- Jueves Santo (Maundy Thursday) ++
- Viernes Santo (Good Friday) ++
- Sábado Santo y de Gloria (Holy Saturday) ++
- Domingo de Gloria/Pascua de Resurrección (Easter Sunday) ++
- 25: San Marcos, Patron Saint of Aguascalientes, Ags. +*
- 30: Día del Niño (Children's Day) *
MAYO (May)
(Mes de las flores consagrado a la Santísima Virgen María
Month of flowers consecrated to the Holy Virgin Mary)
- 1: Día del Trabajo (Labor Day)** also San José Obrero (St. Joseph)
- 3: Día de la Santa Cruz (Holy Cross Day) +
- 5: Batalla de Puebla (Battle of Puebla) **
- 10: Día de las Madres (Mothers Day) - fixed date *
- 15: San Isidro Labrador (St. Isador the Farmer) -Blessing of Animals +
JUNIO (June)
(Mes dedicado al culto del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús
Month dedicated to the worship of the Sacred Heart of Jesus)
- 3: Domingo de Corpus (Corpus Christi)+
- Domingo de Asención (Ascension Sunday) ++
- Pascua de Pentecostés (Pentecost) ++
- 13: San Antonio de Padua (St. Anthony of Padua)+
- 3rd Sunday in June: Día del Padre (Father's Day)*
- 24: San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist)+
- 27: Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro (Our Lady of Perpetual Succor)+
- 29: San Pedro y San Pablo (St. Peter & St. Paul)+
JULIO (July)
(Mes de la preciosa Sangre de Cristo
Month of the Precious Blood of Christ)
- 4: Nuestra Señora del Refugio (Our Lady of Refuge)+
- 16: Nuestra Señora del Carmen (Our Lady of Mount Carmel)+
- 18-25: La Guelaguetza-Lunes del Cerro Festival, Oaxaca, Oax. (Traditional Folk Festival)+*
- 25: Santiago Apóstol (St. James the Apostle)+
AGOSTO (August)
- 15: La Asunción de la Virgen María (The Assumption of the Virgen Mary)+
- 28: San Agustín, (St. Augustine, Patron Saint of Puebla, Pue).+*
SEPTIEMBRE (September)
(Mes de la Fiestas Patrias
Month of National Festivities)
- 1: Día del Informe Presidencial (President's State of the Union Address)*
- 13: Aniversario de la muerte de los Niños Heroes (Young Heros of Chapultepec)
- 14: Día del Charro (Horseman's Day)
- 15: Conmemoración del Grito de la Independencia (Independence Cry "El Grito")*
- 16: Día de la Independencia (Independence Day)**
- 24: Nuestra Señora de la Merced (Our Lady of Mercy)+
- 29: San Miguel Archangel, (St. Michael Archangel, Patron Saint of San Miguel Allende, Gto.) +*
OCTUBRE (October)
(Mes dedicado al Santísimo Rosario
Month dedicated to the Holy Rosary)
- 4: San Francisco de Asís, (Patron Saint of Chapala, Jal.) +*
- 7: Nuestra Señora del Rosario (Our Lady of the Rosary)+
- 12: Día de la Raza (Columbus Day)**
- Romería de la Virgen de Zapopan, (Pilgimage Guadalajara-Zapopan)+*
NOVIEMBRE (November)
- 1: Todos los Santos (All Saints Day)+
- 2:Día de los Fieles Difuntos (Day of the Dead-All Souls Day)+
- Index to the Day of the Dead Section
- 12: Día del Cartero (Mailman's Day - post offices close)*
- 20: Aniversario de la Revolución Mexicana (Revolution Day)**
- 22: Santa Cecilia, (St. Cecilia,Patron Saint of Musicians)+
- 30: San Andrés, (St. Andrew, Patron Saint of Ajijic, Jal.)+*
DICIEMBRE (December)
(Mes de la Natividad del Señor y la Virgen de Guadalupe
Month of the Nativity of the Lord Jesus and of the Virgin of Guadalupe)
- 6: San Nicolás (St. Nicholas)+
- 8: La Inmaculada Concepción de la Virgen María (The Immaculate Conception+
- 12: Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Our Lady of Guadlaupe)+
- 16-24: Posadas Navideñas (Pre-Christmas festivities)+
- (Index to the Christmas Season in Mexico)
- 24: Noche Buena (Christmas Eve)+
- 25: Navidad (Christmas Day)*/+
- 28: Día de los Santos Inocentes (Day of the Holy Innocents)+
- 31: Festejos de fin de Año (New Year's Eve)
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