When you decide to visit a country and learn more about its customs, festivities and traditions, one of the first tasks you should do is take note of its celebrations and festivities, it is there where you can experience the roots and customs of its people.
Each country has its charm and surely there are unique and very representative festivals, but in Mexico, there are some that cross borders, to the point of becoming a famous movie, you can surely imagine it…
But there is much more, exquisite gastronomy, customs, typical costumes, music, traditions, events full of color that excite…
Let’s get to know a little more about those Mexican festivities that you can’t miss. Let’s check 5 of the most important Mexican traditions:
Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos), the number 1 celebration in Mexico
If there is a celebration that occupies a privileged place among the most important Mexican holidays and traditions, it is the Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos), an event that brings people closer to their loved ones who are no longer on this plane.
Beautiful altars, hearty meals, cemeteries with music, catrinas, sweet skulls, cempasuchil flowers, alebrijes, pan de muerto “bread of dead”, all part of an important tradition that aims to always keep in mind those who came before us.
Although these are days with a great mixture of feelings, love, nostalgia, sadness, etc., the events are also a party, a celebration of the spiritual reunion with loved ones who come to visit us.
Many destinations in Mexico have special celebrations and festivities, as is the case of the great parade that takes place along Paseo de La Reforma in CDMX, in which thousands of local people and foreigners from all over the world participate.
Likewise, families gather to visit the pantheons, as well as participate in processions, rituals and other events in honor of their dead relatives.
And we cannot fail to mention the influence of American culture that is also present and amalgamated into this beautiful Mexican tradition, although its meaning is not the same.
Guelaguetza
Oaxaca is a magical Mexican destination where you can discover a very important part of the country’s culture; delicious cuisine, exquisite coffee, colorful suits and dresses with beautiful embroidery, and the icing on the cake: the Guelaguetza, a beautiful traditional festival also present among the indisputable symbols of the town’s identity and history.
The Guelaguetza is one of the Mexican festivals where solidarity is celebrated, the power to share and make it reciprocal, commemorating those difficult times that could be overcome thanks to the support of the people with the people.
To enjoy this event, you have to reserve a place in your agenda for July, especially the two Mondays following the 16th, when Cerro del Fortín dresses up to receive the participating delegations and thousands of visitors who come to enjoy an amazing party.
The parades through the streets of Oaxaca de Juárez the previous weekend also must not be missed, the “calendas” with their dances, the Oaxacan “chinas” with their beautiful colorful costumes, the marmot, fireworks, mezcal, are something you will be able to enjoy.
Fairs in Mexico
If we talk about festivities and parties, fairs (ferias) cannot be missing from that list, and in Mexico, there are many… Also, the good thing is that the events take place at different times of the year, so you will have no excuses to attend one of them.
We can summarize “Ferias” as a type of event that takes place on a large property, although it also offers different locations such as palenques, polyforum, etc., where you can find mechanical games, a wide gastronomic offer that goes from candies, bread, snacks to more elaborate dishes.
Likewise, you will be able to participate in artistic and cultural exhibitions, live shows, concerts by national and international artists, and many other proposals that each destination has prepared.
The San Marcos Fair in Aguascalientes (Feria de San Marcos), which is held between April and May, is one of the oldest in the country and highly recognized internationally; likewise, the León Fair, in February, summons multitudes.
The Durango National Fair, in July, the Tabasco Fair in Villahermosa, in May, the Zacatecas National Fair in September, and many more. Although we will not mention all of them here, there are many more options for this kind of party in Mexico that you must enjoy!
Mexico’s Independence Day – September 16
September is a very Mexican month, the month of the Mexican Independence Day. From the first day of the month, you begin to see carts selling costumes, flags, toys, hats, souvenirs, all with national colors.
The decorations in shops, houses, government offices, and even in the streets are part of the magic of those dates and a very special touch is found in the monumental flags, with a large pole from which this imposing canvas with the colors of Mexico flutters.
This is how the entire country dresses up to wait for September 16, the date on which the “grito” for Independence is commemorated since 1810.
The celebrations take place from one end of the country to the other, being on the 15th, when thousands of people gather in front of the Government Palace of each destination to live and enjoy the joy of giving the Mexican “Grito” of Independence, with a protocol that gives a solemnity to the act and fills each Mexican with emotion.
Undoubtedly one of the best places to visit at this time is the Zócalo in Mexico City, which looks incredibly beautiful, and on the night of the 15th, one of the most beautiful parties in Mexico takes place.
Added to this, the Marquesada Festival in Salvatierra Guanajuato, the Santa Lucía Festival in Monterrey, the Tamaulipas International Festival, etc., are some of the events that you can also enjoy in the national month.
Carnivals, another of the funniest parties in Mexico
Although carnivals are not exclusive parties from Mexico, beautiful carnival celebrations take place in Mexico that, in February, are an important attraction in various destinations.
People in costumes, troupes, music, burning dolls or burning bad moods, the election of a queen, floats and lots of partying, are the classics that cannot be missing from these events, although each destination has a special way of celebrating carnival.
Campeche, Mazatlán, Mérida, Cozumel, Veracruz are among the top ten of the best carnivals in Mexico, with impressive staging that summons locals and tourists to celebrate with style.
But the multiculturalism of this beautiful country also offers us another kind of carnival parties, special celebrations with the magic of indigenous tradition.
You can be part of unique events and other ways of experiencing the festivity such as the Tlaxcala carnivals or the celebration of the Totonacs in the north of the “Sierra de Puebla”, who organize dancing groups: the huehues and the mulattoes.
It is also interesting to visit regions such as Zaachila in Oaxaca, Huejotzingo in Puebla and Tzucacab in Yucatán, where carnivals are commemorated as a battle; traditional dances like in Aguacatitlán with the dance of concheros, shepherdesses and tecuanes, or the dances of the feather and gardeners in Capulhuac (Mexico), just to mention a few.
On these dates, there are a lot of these kinds of events and they all have their charm, you just need to check the carnival agenda of the place where you are or the destination you want to visit… The rest will be enjoying the best Mexican parties!
