Foreigners have more trouble understanding Los Dias de Los Muertos than any of Mexico’s other fiestas. At first glance, Day of the Dead decorations, colored paper garlands, little skeletons performing daily tasks and sugar skulls inscribed with names remind visitors of Halloween. Other tourists discover that much like Memorial or Remembrance Day back north, families […]
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Dale Hoyt Palfrey © 1995 Her face is unforgettable and she goes by many names: La Catrina, la Flaca, la Huesuda, la Pelona — Fancy Lady, Skinny, Bony, Baldy. A fixture in Mexican society, she’s not some trendy fashion model, but La Muerte — Death. Renowned writer Octavio Paz observes that, undaunted by death, the […]
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Fiestas abound in Mexico. The following listing of major Mexican 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 […]
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Dreaming of a white Christmas? If you’re spending December in Mexico, forget it! The closest you’ll come to frosty is to reminisce on winter wonderlands while sipping an icy margarita. You can expect the holiday season south of the border to be as warm and colorful as a tropical garden. And you’ll discover a delightful […]
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Semana Santa — Holy Week — is the observance of a solemn religious occasion. But the mood in most of Mexico during Easter time is far from solemn. With the exception of the Good Friday reenactments — passion plays and processions that take place on some level in even the smallest village — the atmosphere […]
Continue ReadingHuellas Experienced Mexico travelers recognize a sure sign that a local fiesta is in progress whenever they spy a churchyard or stretch of roadway bedecked with lines of bright tissue paper cut-outs. Papel picado— an enchanting Mexican popular art form with roots in the country’s ancient cultures–lends a festive air for many types of celebrations. […]
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In Mexico, the Christmas holidays begin unofficially with the saint’s day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. But can decorations appear anytime after the Day of the Dead on November 2.The festivities are in full swing with the beginning of the posadas — celebrated each evening from December 16 to 24. They are, in fact, a […]
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Most people think of piñatas as a fun activity for parties. The history of the piñata reveals many interesting facts that go beyond the playing of a game, although piñatas certainly have been intended for fun. Piñatas may have originated in China. Marco Polo discovered the Chinese fashioning figures of cows, oxen or buffaloes, covered with colored paper and adorned with […]
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The year-end holidays in Mexico are always known for time honored traditions and a family oriented spirit. You can sing Christmas carols with your friends and family and enjoy some buñuelos, tamales and ponche spiked with rum. Then comes New Year’s Eve. And while it has its traditions, this holiday is not so family-oriented. The most important beach destinations in […]
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Only the official registration form on file in the archives and my now-aging memory can attest to Celestino’s entry in the 1952 contest, the year of his biggest loss. The neighbors only saw him carry from his workshop a lump the size of a small dog like those that sleep in the street, covered by […]
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