The Mexican piñata party ritual

For the uninitiated, the piñata is a decorated clay pot or papier-mâché container filled with treats (more about those later) which is strung from a rope and flailed at in turns by party-goers who are blindfolded and armed with a stick.

A person at one end of the rope —or sometimes a person at each end— will be able to swing the piñata in an attempt to keep it away from its assailant, and make the game last as long as possible.

When the piñata breaks, the contents are scattered on the ground and a rush is made to collect as much loot as possible.

At most children’s birthday parties and Christmas posadas the order in which the participants get a shot is based on age, from youngest to eldest.  This is logical since the bigger the person, the more likely they are to break the piñata, and the idea is to keep it going for a good while—at least long enough to ensure that every child has a turn.

Stick flailed to the piñata song

The duration of a “turn” is as long as it takes to sing the piñata song, which goes like this:

Dale dale dale, no pierdas el tino,
Porque si lo pierdes, pierdes el camino.
Ya le diste uno,
Ya le diste dos,
Ya le diste tres y tu tiempo se acabó.

Which loosely translates as:

Hit-it hit-it hit-it, don’t lose your aim,
Because if you lose it, you will lose your way.
Now you’ve hit it once,
Now you’ve hit it twice,
Now you’ve hit it three times,
And your time is up.

Essential preparations for your piñata ritual

More thought and decision-making goes into a simple piñata ritual than you might expect:

First of all, what should go inside the piñata?

Christmas piñatas tend to be healthier than birthday piñatas.  They usually contain pieces of sugar cane, tangerines, or little oranges called naranjas piñateras, peanuts, a Mexican fruit called tejocote, limas (a sort of cross between an orange and a lime) and a variety of candy: boiled sweets, chocolate coins, and such.  Birthday piñatas tend to have more candy and less fruit.  Some piñatas may also contain small toys and other trinkets.

Next, where to stretch the rope on which the piñata will be strung?

This often involves at least one person, usually an adult, leaning precariously out of an upstairs window, on a rooftop terrace, or hanging-off the side of one of those spiral iron staircases common in Mexico as a way up onto the roof.

Finding the right stick to strike the piñata

A traditional wooden broom handle is the best, and if you visit your local ferreteria you should be able to buy one.

The new-style hollow plastic or thin hollow metal tube handles are too light to make any impression on the piñata, especially the more common papier-mâché ones which are quite resistant. A baseball bat is too heavy for the smaller swingers and gives an unfair advantage to the bigger children or adults.

Piñata shops actually sell sticks that are about the right size and weight, which is fine in today’s world of ready-made.  If the stick doesn’t break during the ritual, it can be stored ready for the next party.

Add a blindfold and the piñata ritual can begin

Once the piñata is all set up, and someone finds an adequate scarf or bandanna to use as a blindfold, the fun is ready to begin.  (The little children are not blindfolded, by the way.)

Unwritten rules and strategies

If the piñata is one of the spherical ones with paper cones stuck on it, a common strategy frequently used by players is to knock-off one or more of the cones without breaking the piñata.

There’s a sort of unwritten rule that if you break one of those off, that ends your turn, but you get to keep the cone, which is useful for filling with goodies once the piñata is broken.

If the piñata is thematic —Disney characters seem perennially popular— an arm or a leg or any other non-core piece of the piñata could be broken-off and kept for the same purpose.

Time outs, the break, and the final rush for the bounty

With clay-pot piñatas, one good crack can break them open and the contents would spill on the floor.  With the more common and most popular papier-mâché variety, often the piñata will split rather than break, and just a few things fall out, prompting some of the children to rush-in to grab them while the person with the stick may still be in full-swing: if blind-folded, they might not realize the piñata has been split.

This calls for a time-out while the stray pieces of fruit or candy are retrieved. If the split or tear in the piñata is big enough, the person in charge of the rope will usually shake it up and down so that more fall out.

Then one of the adults will take it upon him or herself to declare the piñata broken, step into the arena, grab the damaged artifact and shake it until all the contents are emptied onto the ground.

This signal is a cue for the scrum, as children rush-in armed with their cones and other piñata parts, or at least one of those ubiquitous plastic bags, to fill.

After the adrenaline fest, adults with brooms appear to sweep up the remains of tissue paper, papier-mâché, and the odd broken fruit no one claimed; and some redress is made in benefit of the less aggressive of the participants whose share of the loot doesn’t come anywhere near to what even the least social-minded might consider fair.

Also known as Epiphany, the date marks the visit of the Magi to the Christ child: they are traditionally considered to have numbered three wise men, corresponding to the three gifts mentioned in the Bible.

Gift-giving traditions

For many years, Three Kings Day was the date when gifts would be given to Mexican children, who would put shoes out before going to bed on the evening of January 5th. Although this was gradually and inexorably taken over by the imported tradition of Santa Claus, families here maintain the tradition of giving children toys on Three Kings Day. Rather than the main course, this is for many a complement to the excesses of modern-day Christmas; “Por no dejar” —for the sake of keeping it— as some may say.

The continuation of Three Kings Day celebration is notable in the commercial world: toy prices in Mexican stores aren’t discounted to unload leftover inventory until around the second week of January, and the days leading up to January 5th can often see shoppers out late at stores and markets desperately seeking to fill last-minute orders.

Rosca de Reyes

The extravagant meals taken at Christmas and New Year are not repeated on Día de Reyes, but instead Rosca de Reyes (“Kings’ Loaf”) is eaten, usually with hot chocolate.

The large oval-shaped cakes —sweet bread topped with crystallized fruit and sugar— are interspersed with little plastic dolls representing the baby Jesus. Whoever gets a doll in their slice, and you have to cut your own to avoid feelings of being cheated, is supposed to buy the tamales on February 2nd—Día de la Candelaria: a Catholic tradition celebrating the presentation of Jesus in the temple.

How many of the people who get the slices with dolls actually end up buying the tamales themselves is an open question. But you probably don’t want to gather for Rosca with people who insist on further slicing each slice horizontally to inspect for dolls: not the spirit you’d want to start out the year with.

Rosca de Reyes, of course, shows up in the shops long before January, just as Pan de Muerto is usually available long before Día de los Muertos.

Closing out the Guadalupe-Reyes festive season

There are other ways in which Día de Reyes marks the end of the long holiday season, sometimes referred to as Guadalupe-Reyes to describe the slow month between Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12th and the grade schools going back for the new term around January 7th.

It’s also the time to start taking down Christmas trees, festive lights, and other seasonal decorations. But there’s no rush.

Tamales and Constitution Day

Candelaria on February 2nd isn’t a holiday in the sense of having the day off work, but it does come a few days before the Constitution Day holiday, which is celebrated on the first Monday in February.  That is also an official holiday, and for U.S. sports fans it has the added advantage of usually being the day after Super Bowl Sunday.

So tamales and American football. It doesn’t get much more convenient, or neighborly, than that.

Some also provide a public service as self-appointed gatekeepers warning against restaurants on both sides of the Atlantic that claim to be offering Mexican fare but which anyone who has tried genuine Mexican food would cringe at, or tipping off their readers about errant recipes making scandalous innovations in Mexican culinary matters.

Mexican party food through the holidays

While tacos, tortas and tamales are a daily delight, and indeed, most dishes can be enjoyed all year round, some are particularly associated with certain dates or holidays.

Pozole —red or green, chicken or pork— makes its presence especially known in September around Independence Day on the 16th. People will go searching for tamales at Candlemas on February 2nd, many because they got a plastic doll in their slice of Rosca de Reyes on January 6th, Three Kings Day.

In the U.S., guacamole is often associated with the Super Bowl, and the first week of February does see strong demand for Mexican avocados. But it doesn’t actually have anything to do with American football, just like Cinco de Mayo has nothing to do with Mexico’s independence.

Mexican party food at Christmas time

Christmas also has its own dishes, some homegrown and some adopted, to make sure no one goes hungry at the festive gatherings which are usually held on December 24th at night.

Roast or smoked turkey —pavo— is often on the menu. Most people in Mexico seem to want only turkey breast slices, so those who don’t mind chomping their way through a leg or a wing will find little competition.

Many Christmas party food tables will accompany this with a ham, smoked or baked. Mexicans call this pierna, and not jamón which is the thinly sliced stuff you get at the supermarket or local store.

Traditional bacalao and romeritos

The more exotic dishes are bacalao and romeritos.

Bacalao is salted codfish prepared with finely chopped parsley (and/or coriander), tomato puré, olives, cambray potatoes, and chiles largos (also called chiles güeros). Other ingredients vary, it could be another vegetable such as carrot or peppers, or thinly sliced almond. Anyway, balacao is something of an acquired taste. But if well made —i.e., not too much oil, no fish bones, or at least not many— it can make your Christmas special.

Another dish that is not to everyone’s liking but whose fans will rush to fill their plate is romeritos. This is made with seepweed, dried shrimp or shrimp rissoles, nopales and potato in a mole sauce.

All these Christmas dishes are a virtual guarantee that there will be leftovers, and this will bring friends and relatives back the next day for the famous “recalentado”—reheated food. Here bacalao and romeritos come into their own, as they make good tortas.

Learn more about Christmas traditions in Mexico

Mexperience helps you to discover Christmas traditions in Mexico and enjoy all the country offers during this important festive period:

• Learn about preparing for Christmas and New Year in Mexico
• Dia de Guadalupe heralds the start of the end-of-year festivities in Mexico.
• Posadas Navideñas are an integral and essential part of Christmas traditions in Mexico.
• Colorful piñatas are an essential component of every Christmas party in Mexico.
• Discover the Mexican Christmas experience and festivities
• How the New Year is traditionally welcomed in Mexico.
• Kings’ Day gifts, delicious loaf, and the baby doll that determines who hosts the tamales party in February.
• Learn all about Christmas in Mexico on our feature section.

Most Mexicans spend the eve of the New Year at a private party hosted in their home with close friends and family gathered near; younger people may attend dinner parties at hotels or other events hosted in public plazas; and some families who live in cooler climates may repair to the one of Mexico’s coastal resorts for some winter warmth and a party at a privately-rented house, or attend a dinner party at their hotel.

New Year celebrations at family homes

Families tend to pass New Year’s Eve at their homes in Mexico—either at their own, or at a nearby friend’s house, where a party may be organized, or a more simple gathering with a supper and drinks prepared.  The celebrations might later spill-out onto the local street, where an impromptu and convivial congregation with the neighbors could take place.

New Year dinner parties

Young adults usually ring-in the New Year with their friends and cohorts at locally-arranged parties or public plazas.  In urban centers —and especially in Mexico’s three big cities— fashionable ‘chic’ hotels arrange a New Year’s Eve dinner and a party for a fixed price.  Revelers at these events will usually repair to one of the hotel’s rooms, with late check-out arrangements in place allowing guests to sleep-off the party.

Popular oceanside resorts like Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun and the Riviera Maya fill-up for New Year’s Eve, and you can expect to pay a premium for experiencing celebrations at these places—whether you stay at a hotel, or rent a private home.

Some hotels and resorts host dinner parties with dancing, live music or other entertainments for guests who want to participate, and some also welcome guests who are not staying at the hotel/resort—check locally for details.

Some of the more elegant hotels in Mexico’s provincial cities may host a gala dinner and dance event; room rates are in-line with their high-season prices and there is an additional cover charge to attend the dinner and cocktail party.

Civic events and local markets

In larger towns and cities, you’ll find civic events taking place in and around the zocalo (central plaza), which usually includes market stalls, food and drink stands, live music, dance groups, as well as other forms of street entertainment.  Street and public festivities vary by town and city—check locally for details and arrangements.

Elegant firework displays

Fireworks are tremendously popular for all types of celebrations in Mexico, and New Year firework displays tend to be among the most elegant.

In smaller towns and villages locals usually set-off private displays in their gardens, at local neighborhood town squares, or on their street. Formal displays arranged by local governments or hotels & resorts can offer extravagant displays which feature a wide assortment of pyrotechnics and create spectacular shows of light and sound for anyone in the vicinity to witness and enjoy.

Grapes and other traditions

In addition to the demand for fireworks, markets undertake a brisk trade in grapes on the run-up to New Year, as well as red and yellow-colored underwear.

These satisfy a demand to uphold Mexican traditions which include eating twelve grapes at midnight —one grape to be taken on each strike of the midnight toll— and, for the superstitious, wearing red underwear to draw luck in matters of love, and yellow underwear to draw luck in matters relating to money during the coming year.

Another tradition practiced by some with plans to travel in the New Year is to carry an empty suitcase around the block, so as to attract good fortune in one’s future expeditions.  Some parties also celebrate the New Year by breaking open a piñata.

An older tradition, not witnessed frequently these days, is one where a well-heeled member of the local community throws coins —traditionally silver troy ounces, although today Mexican legal tender is more common— from a high balcony or a rooftop to children who gather below and retrieve the falling coins for spending in the New Year.

Traditional Mexican food for New Year’s Eve

The traditional foods taken on the eve of the New Year include bacalao, a salted dried codfish re-hydrated and prepared in a stew with fresh chiles and green olives; tamales, natural corn-paste flavored using sweet or savory ingredients, wrapped in corn leaves and steamed; and bañuelos, light and crisp Mexican wafers drizzled with a sweet syrup made using piloncillo.

Traditional seasonal tipples include ponche, a fruit-punch spiked with rum; and rompope—eggnog.  Tequila and mezcal, champagne, and sparkling cider (sidra) are also firm favorites for New Year celebrations here.

The Guadalupe-Reyes festive period continues

With party-goers well-fed and properly watered, and grapes scoffed at the stroke of midnight, a ritual of hugs and kisses begins, in line with Mexican social etiquette, before dancing and music continues into the early hours and, for some, through to daybreak on January 1st.

Following the year-end climax celebrations, Mexico’s festivities continue into the New Year: the Guadalupe-Reyes festive period that begins with Día de Guadalupe on December 12th, continues until January 6th, King’s Day, or Epiphany.

Christmas and New Year traditions in Mexico

Mexperience helps you to discover Christmas traditions in Mexico and enjoy all the country offers during this important festive period:

• Learn about preparing for Christmas and New Year in Mexico
• The story of Juan Diego and Guadalupe
• Christmas party Piñatas
• The Christmas Aguinaldo
• Learn about Mexican party foods at Christmastime
• Enjoying Mexico’s traditional Christmas Posadas
• December Festivities and the Christmas Experience
• New Year Celebrations in Mexico
• Kings’ Day gifts and Rosca de Reyes
• Articles about Christmas and New Year in Mexico

Christmas festivities in Mexico

Local Posadas —traditional Christmas parties— featuring candlelit processions and piñatas; festivals, special events, art and music, delicious seasonal food and drinks, Christmas carols —villancicos— dancing, and fireworks can be enjoyed this time of year across Mexico.

The Posadas begin on December 16th with the main event and special Christmas meal traditionally taken by most families on Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day. The 25th of December in Mexico is a day for relaxation —‘the ultimate Sunday’— as well as being a public holiday.

Many of the events leading-up to Christmas are aligned with certain religious festivals and church services that make them even more meaningful to those who behold Christmas as more than just an indulgent holiday.

A fusion of styles and cultures

As with so many things in Mexico, Christmas festivities here celebrate a fusion of cultures and traditional celebrations that nonetheless retain a strong Mexican style and flair.  Amidst the festivities, the underlying feeling of peace and tranquility, and a time for being with those you care about most is the same in Mexico as everywhere else that Christmas is celebrated.

In places where it never snows, the backdrop will never meet the ‘snow drops and sleigh bells’ imagery that’s so often shared on Christmas cards, but that doesn’t prevent Mexican families from enjoying decorations that include snow scenes on their window panes and snowmen dolls smiling in their sun-drenched patios and gardens.

Shopping for Christmas in Mexico

Frenzied festive shopping trends are now common in Mexico’s big towns and cities at Christmas, so if you plan to ‘whisk across town’ in the capital, be aware that Mexico City’s streets, especially those near and around retail centers, can become virtually grid-locked on the run-up to Christmas Eve as people play-out the infamous ‘last minute rush.’  Christmas in Mexico tends to become more traditional and intimate the further away you are from its urban centers, but it’s wise to plan your shopping needs in advance and avoid shops and markets altogether on the 23rd and 24th, if you can.

Traditional meals and beverages

Christmas in Mexico features its own dishes, some homegrown and some adopted, to make sure no one goes hungry at the festive gatherings.

The main Christmas meal is traditionally taken as a supper on the evening of December 24th, with family and friends arriving for the famous left-overs —recalentados— on the afternoon of the 25th. Some foreign residents keep to their home country traditions and host their main Christmas meal on the afternoon of the 25th, taking a light supper on the 24th, instead.

Turkey and ham are often served; although the most sought-after dishes this time of year are bacalao and romeritos.  For liquid refreshment, sidra (apple cider), and rompope (eggnog) are the traditional beverages served with Christmas meals, although wine and an assortment of spirits may also be offered by hosts.

Gift exchange traditions

In modern-day Mexico, gifts are often exchanged on the night of the 24th of December, although traditionally presents in Mexico are exchanged on Kings’ Day—January 6th.  This is also the day when the delicious “Rosca de Reyes” (Kings’ Loaf) is served: a doughnut-shaped cake into which several small plastic doll figurines are baked; whoever is served a slice containing a doll does, by tradition, host a party and serves tamales at their home on February 2nd, Dia de la Candelaria, Candlemas.  Each rosca contains several dolls baked in with the dough, usually at least three, and the larger the size of the loaf, the more chances you have to be ‘nominated’ as a party host in February.

A special time for visitors and residents in Mexico

People who visit Mexico this time of year enjoy getting away from their usual surroundings and absorbing an alternative Christmas experience: many people who have visited Mexico at Christmas at least once before are drawn back time and again to the special magic that Mexico offers this time of year, and to enjoy the unusual in celebrations that nonetheless feel quite familiar.

For those who live in Mexico, Christmas remains a very special time of year when friends, family, festivals, and local traditions fuse together to create an enjoyable atmosphere that is uniquely Mexican in its approach and style.  Some foreign residents travel to spend Christmas and New Year with their families abroad; and some years their families come to visit them in Mexico, and experience the wonders of a Christmas holiday in ways that only Mexico can offer.

After the Christmas meals and leftovers have been enjoyed and gifts unwrapped, people take a breather and begin to prepare for their New Year celebrations.

Wherever you are this holiday season, we wish you a tranquil Christmas holiday filled with joy—and a New Year filled with good tidings and abundance!

Learn more about Christmas traditions in Mexico

Mexperience helps you to discover Christmas traditions in Mexico and enjoy all the country offers during this important festive period:

• Learn about preparing for Christmas and New Year in Mexico
• Dia de Guadalupe heralds the start of the end-of-year festivities in Mexico.
• Posadas Navideñas are an integral and essential part of Christmas traditions in Mexico.
• Enjoying Mexican party foods at Christmastime
• Colorful piñatas are an essential component of every Christmas party in Mexico.
• How the New Year is traditionally welcomed in Mexico.
• Kings’ Day gifts, delicious loaf, and the baby doll that determines who hosts the tamales party in February.
• Learn all about Christmas in Mexico on our feature section.

The later expansion of U.S. culture —convenience, fast food, movies, music, video games— inevitably affected its neighbor Mexico, and the commercial exploitation of traditional holidays has also been a hit.

The trappings of Halloween have made inroads into the traditional Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead celebrations. Few people bother writing “calaveras” —humorous epitaphs in rhyme— these days, but armies of children in fancy dress carrying jack-o-lanterns go knocking on doors and chanting “queremos Halloween” or “¿me da mi calaverita?”—less Mexican, perhaps, but more profitable all-round than the original plan. Stores stock up on imported pumpkins of all colors, shapes and sizes, while other Halloween paraphernalia adorn the shelves just long enough to be knocked-off by the incoming Christmas candy and toys.

Mexico has always been a country to assimilate foreign things without giving up its own identity, often putting a particularly Mexican stamp on them.

Roast turkey is eaten at Christmas but in addition to, not instead of, the traditional bacalao and romeritos.

Santa Claus has overtaken the Three Kings as the principal bringer of gifts, although both are popular among children. Before, the main time for “getting” was January 6, or Three Kings Day, and children would leave out shoes for the purpose. (Not that their “orders” would ever fit in a shoe.)

Now the sleighs, the bells, the reindeer, and the fir trees —in places where it never snows— are all the rage. By all means enjoy the winter scenes, but don’t forget to bring the piñatas.

This acceptance of imported ideas without giving up existing views has long been a characteristic of Mexico. It’s also apparent in the way political correctness has trickled into the country, particularly where it merely involves substituting one word for another to keep certain people from taking offense on behalf of others.

But while attitudes to many things are already changing with the younger online generations, people haven’t gone so far that they’re afraid to call Christmas Navidad or put up nativity scenes. There are alternatives: “felices fiestas” for “happy holidays,” “fiestas decembrinas” for “December celebrations,” and others; but even when these are used, you don’t get the impression people are trying to avoid falling foul of the separation of Church and State, or worrying that the Chinese may not like you calling it “New Year.”

Learn more about Christmas traditions in Mexico

Mexperience helps you to discover Christmas traditions in Mexico and enjoy all the country offers during this important festive period:

• Learn about preparing for Christmas and New Year in Mexico
• Dia de Guadalupe heralds the start of the end-of-year festivities in Mexico.
• Posadas Navideñas are an integral and essential part of Christmas traditions in Mexico.
• Enjoying Mexican party foods at Christmastime
• Colorful piñatas are an essential component of every Christmas party in Mexico.
• Discover the Mexican Christmas experience and festivities
• How the New Year is traditionally welcomed in Mexico.
• Kings’ Day gifts, delicious loaf, and the baby doll that determines who hosts the tamales party in February.
• Learn all about Christmas in Mexico on our feature section.

Reenacting the search for an inn

A local Posada begins with a ritual that reenacts Mary and Joseph’s search for an inn on their way to Bethlehem.

Traditionally, this manifests as a local street procession, and other times the ritual will take place outside of the house (or event center) where the party is to be held; with some guests waiting outside playing the role of the pilgrims asking for accommodation, and other guests inside, playing the role of the hosts.

On street processions, participants carry lighted candles along a prescribed route around a local neighborhood asking, through means of a special posada song, for ‘room at the inn’—knocking on doors along the way, or knocking on the door where the party is arranged.  The protagonists of the nativity story are most often portrayed in costume by local children.

Neighbors along the route may open their doors and purposefully refuse Mary and Joseph (in song) until, at the end of the route, a designated house (or sometimes a local church or village hall) allows Mary and Joseph to pass, and a Christmas posada party ensues there.

The posada song

The posada song is organized into two groups of singers: the pilgrims (asking for room at the inn) and the hosts.  You can read the lyrics in order here. The lyrics are sung in turn, with the pilgrims making pleas for accommodation, and the hosts rejecting those pleas—until the end, when the hosts accept to accommodate Mary and Joseph.

If a street procession doesn’t precede a party, the song will most likely be sung at some point during the party itself, with all the guests assigned a ‘role’ as either the pilgrims (asking for room at the inn), or the hosts, and they sing accordingly. Song sheets and candles are handed out to aid the participants’ reenactment.

The posada party

The party, or posada as it’s referred to, often features villancicos (Christmas carols) and a piñata—a colorful papier-mâché figurine which is strung up on a rope and, when broken-open by party goers hitting at it blindfolded with a stick until it eventually pours out with fruit and confections which the children scurry to collect.

There is usually at least one street posada taking place in a neighborhood of every town on every night between the 16th and 24th of December, and some people also host private posadas for friends and family to attend.

Some host posadas every year as part of their annual Christmas festivities, and if you’re living in Mexico, there might be more than one to attend if you’re invited; and one for you to host if you choose to open your home and invite others to a posada.

Learn more about Christmas traditions in Mexico

Mexperience helps you to discover Christmas traditions in Mexico and enjoy all the country offers during this important festive period:

• Learn about preparing for Christmas and New Year in Mexico
• Dia de Guadalupe heralds the start of the end-of-year festivities in Mexico.
• Enjoying Mexican party foods at Christmastime
• Colorful piñatas are an essential component of every Christmas party in Mexico.
• Discover the Mexican Christmas experience and festivities
• How the New Year is traditionally welcomed in Mexico.
• Kings’ Day gifts, delicious loaf, and the baby doll that determines who hosts the tamales party in February.
• Learn all about Christmas in Mexico on our feature section.

Christmas bonus in addition to regular pay

Mexican labor law stipulates that all employed people must receive an Aguinaldo equivalent to at least 15 days of the employee’s regular wages, and it must be paid before December 20.

This is in addition to any regular pay or other benefits that the employer offers.  In practice, many of the big companies in Mexico pay 30 days —effectively paying employees 13 months of salary per year— and some employers split this into two payments: one-half paid at Christmas and the other half in the summer.

Paying the people who help you through the year

If you live in Mexico and hire any domestic staff it’s important to pay them an Aguinaldo in December.  This may include housekeepers, caretakers, care-givers, gardeners, pool maintenance people, etc.  Some people pay domestic staff two weeks equivalent pay, although four weeks’ equivalent pay is more appropriate.

If your home helpers work part-time, then the Aguinaldo bonus is paid pro-rata. So, for example, if your housekeeper works two days a week, then whatever you pay for those two days is multiplied by at least two (and more appropriately, four) to calculate the Aguinaldo.

Tipping other service providers at Christmas

If you forgot to tip your post man or woman in November, Christmas is a good time to make amends and, for those who buy regularly online and have the items delivered, you might consider tipping your local couriers as well, if you don’t tip them throughout the year.

Other people to consider tipping at Christmas include the folks who collect your household waste and recycling, the home gas delivery people, and the water bottle delivery people.

If you are traveling this Christmas season and staying at a hotel, don’t forget to leave tips for your chamber maid and the waiting staff, even if you’re staying at an ‘all inclusive’ resort.

Learn more about Christmas in Mexico

• Learn about preparing for Christmas and New Year in Mexico
• Dia de Guadalupe heralds the start of the end-of-year festivities in Mexico.
• Posadas Navideñas are an integral and essential part of Christmas traditions in Mexico.
• Colorful piñatas are an essential component of every Christmas party in Mexico.
• Discover the Mexican Christmas experience and festivities
• How the New Year is traditionally welcomed in Mexico.
• Kings’ Day gifts, delicious loaf, and the baby doll that determines who hosts the tamales party in February.
• Learn all about Christmas in Mexico on our feature section.

The pilgrimages to the Basilica de Guadalupe

Some people begin walking to the basilica —in some cases from towns and villages many miles away— hours or days before December the 12th.  Many of the pilgrims crawl the last few hundred yards of the journey, from the gates of the basilica to the church itself on their knees: a symbolic, painful experience.  The pilgrims will arrive late on the eve of the day or in the early hours of the morning to ensure that they are at or near the shrine at sunrise.

A history that dates back to the colonial era

The history which led up to this occasion goes back to the time of the Spanish conquest.  When the Spaniards arrived, they found indigenous peoples with strong, deeply-rooted belief systems of their own.

The story of Juan Diego takes place on December 12th, 1531.  According to narratives, the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared to him when he was walking on a hill named Tepeyac. The apparition is described as a young woman with black hair and darkened skin, which is why the Virgin Guadalupe is sometimes referred to as “la virgen morena” (the brown-skinned virgin).

The virgin told Juan Diego to go and tell the local Bishop to build a church on this hill, and Juan Diego did as he was told.  However, the Bishop was left unconvinced by the story and gave the boy short shrift.

So the virgin appeared once more, and on the second occasion told Juan Diego to collect flowers from the top of the hill.  Being December, Juan did not expect to find any but upon his arrival there, he found the hill covered with beautiful flowers.  As instructed, he collected some and, using his overcoat to carry them, returned to see the Bishop.

The Bishop, seeing the unseasonable flowers, also saw an image of the Virgin Guadalupe imprinted onto to the coat.  Convinced it was a miracle, he ordered the building of the church on the hill of Tepeyac—at the precise location where the current-day basilica is situated in Mexico City.

La Virgen de Guadalupe in modern times

Today, Catholic Mexicans bring gifts and offerings to the virgin, petitioning her for help and good providence; for example, when a family member is ill, when there is conflict in their life, or when they are to embark upon some personal or business endeavor.

For those who cannot make it to the basilica in the country’s capital, private vigils are held at homes and churches across the nation.  Fire crackers are often let-off, filling the night sky with lights and resonating sounds; celebrations also include fiestas with processions in the virgin’s honor.

The Virgin Guadalupe is omnipresent in modern-day Mexican culture.  Images of the virgin may be seen everywhere: at churches, at street shrines, in taxis and buses, in homes, stores, bus stations and airports; in people’s cars, in offices, and even as tattoos. Nearly five hundred years later, the Virgin Guadalupe continues to be adored and revered as a guardian, minder, and savior by millions of Catholic Mexicans.

Juan Diego was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002, at which time the Pope said, “Christ’s message, through his mother, took up the central elements of indigenous culture, purified them, and gave them a definitive sense of salvation … facilitating the fruitful meeting of two worlds and becoming the catalyst for a new Mexican identity.”

The start of the Guadalupe-Reyes holiday season

December 12 also marks the beginning of the Christmas Holiday season in Mexico, colloquially known as Guadalupe-Reyes, referring to the period between December 12th, and January 6th—Kings’ Day.

Learn more about Christmas traditions in Mexico

Mexperience helps you to discover Christmas traditions in Mexico and enjoy all the country offers during this important festive period.

• Learn about preparing for Christmas and New Year in Mexico
• Posadas Navideñas are an integral and essential part of Christmas traditions in Mexico.
• Colorful piñatas are an essential component of every Christmas party in Mexico.
• Discover the Mexican Christmas experience and festivities
• How the New Year is traditionally welcomed in Mexico.
• Kings’ Day gifts, delicious loaf, and the baby doll that determines who hosts the tamales party in February.
• Learn all about Christmas in Mexico on our feature section.

A time for family gatherings in Mexico

Christmas is one of Mexico’s most important annual events.  It’s a time when families travel —sometimes long distances— to be in each other’s company and, in addition to the influx of foreign tourists who flock here for a Christmas vacation away from home, millions of Mexicans travel, too.

Many Capitalinos use Christmas to take a vacation away from the capital and some Mexicans travel between Christmas and the New Year to visit relatives living abroad.

The holiday season begins on December 12th

In villages, towns, and cities across the country, local people prepare for and celebrate a variety of Christmas and New Year festivities, with festivities starting on December 12th, Día de Guadalupe—kicking-off a period colloquially known in Mexico as the Guadalupe-Reyes holiday season.

There’s a particular emphasis on Posadas—traditional Christmas parties that begin as processions re-enacting Joseph and Mary’s search for an inn, and continue with a party at someone’s home.  The Posadas Navideñas are held in the eight-day period between December 16th and Christmas Eve.

Shops and markets are very busy this time of year

Supermarkets and shopping centers in big towns and cities fill-up with festive shoppers buying food, presents and decorations for this holiday season.

Town squares across the country become drenched in color as they are adorned with lights and festive decorations; traditional Christmas fairs and markets pop-up in plazas, along streets, and even in local neighborhoods.  Brightly decorated Piñatas appear in earnest: an essential item at any Mexican Christmas party and traditional posada.

By contrast, the week between Christmas and New Year tends to be one of the quietest in Mexico City.  The capital’s infamous traffic congestion dissolves, the air becomes cleaner, and the city feels almost nostalgic for those who remember what the capital felt like several decades ago.  It’s the perfect time to visit if you prefer a quieter, more serene, capital city to wander about in.

Christmas Eve in Mexico

Christmas Eve is more important than Christmas Day in Mexico.  Stores close early on the 24th as everyone leaves their work behind to rest with their families and to take Christmas supper: roast turkey is now a popular dish, although bacalao, (codfish) cooked with a mixture of spices and olives, remains a traditional and tasty Christmas Eve supper meal enjoyed by many.  Christmas Eve festivities tend to linger on into the early hours, making Christmas Day one of rest and recovery.

New Year’s Eve in Mexico

Families tend to pass New Year’s Eve at their homes in Mexico, although New Year’s celebrations do also take place at central plazas in larger towns and cities as well as all the popular vacation resorts.

The celebrations at Mexico City’s famous Zocalo tend to be the prime focal point for nighttime TV shows that beam a live count down to midnight across the country.

Local churches and plazas become gathering places for people in provincial towns and cities; most churches ring their bells at the stroke of midnight.  You can also expect to hear a torrent of fireworks welcoming-in the New Year.  People passing the event at home often follow the tradition of eating twelve grapes, one for each toll of the midnight bells, in hope of good fortunes throughout the New Year.

Kings’ Day gifts and loaf

Traditionally, Mexicans wait to exchange their gifts on January 6th — Día de Reyes although modern influences have changed routines and today, gifts are more often exchanged on Christmas Eve with children receiving additional gifts on Kings’ Day, when the tasty Rosca de Reyes is also sliced and eaten.

Travel planning during the Christmas period

If you plan to take a Christmas vacation in Mexico at any of the country’s principal beach locations or favored colonial cities, it’s advisable to book in advance to get the best choice of accommodations.

When you’re traveling in Mexico during the Christmas holiday period, allow plenty of extra time to get to and from airports and bus stations, especially between December 17th and December 24th, and again between December 29th and January 6th.

Learn more about Christmas in Mexico

• Learn about preparing for Christmas and New Year in Mexico
• Dia de Guadalupe heralds the start of the end-of-year festivities in Mexico.
• Posadas Navideñas are an integral and essential part of Christmas traditions in Mexico.
• Colorful piñatas are an essential component of every Christmas party in Mexico.
• Discover the Mexican Christmas experience and festivities
• How the New Year is traditionally welcomed in Mexico.
• Kings’ Day gifts, delicious loaf, and the baby doll that determines who hosts the tamales party in February.
• Learn all about Christmas in Mexico on our feature section.

Guadalupe-Reyes begins December 12

December 12 is Dia de Guadalupe: coupled with Easter, this date marks the most important religious event on Mexico’s annual calendar.  The period in Mexico traditionally termed as Guadalupe-Reyes, defines the holiday period that begins on December 12 and ends on January 6th, Kings’ Day or Epiphany.  The period is also linked to Candlemas on February 2nd, when those who found a baby doll in their slice of rosca de reyes on January 6th host a party serving tamales at their home.

Mexico’s traditional Christmas processions

Posadas Navideñas lead up to Christmas, and the New Year festivities. If you’re traveling in Mexico, the period between December 20th and January 6th is the busiest time of year on roads in and out of major cities, and at bus stations and airports as people away for the holidays.

Book early for the best accommodations

If you plan to take a leisure break in Mexico over Christmas and/or New Year, you’ll need to book early to get the best choice of places to stay.

As of December 15th, flight prices increase and availability of seats on internal domestic flights as well as international flights out of Mexico diminishes as Mexicans and foreign residents living here leave to holiday or visit their families abroad.  It’s wise to build-in some extra time for your journey to and through the airport, as the seasonal swell in passenger numbers slows everything down.

Buses and bus stations across Mexico also fill-up as local families travel to be with their loved ones and share time together during the festive period.  Throughout most of the year, you can usually show up and buy a bus ticket on the day you are traveling and be assured of a seat on the next bus out; but if you plan to travel by bus during the days around Christmas and New Year, we recommend you buy your tickets in advance as demand for seats is high at this time of year.

Mexico City is quieter during the Christmas break

Mexico City tends to empty-out during the week between Christmas and New Year as it does during Easter week, as capitalinos leave the metropolis to holiday abroad, visit family in the provinces, or take a well-earned break at one of Mexico’s many beach resorts or picturesque colonial cities.

Driving in Mexico during the Christmas holiday season

If you’re planning to drive in Mexico over the Christmas period, be aware that the principal arterial roads out of Mexico City (towards Cuernavaca, Puebla, Toluca, and Querétaro) become jam-packed in the week leading up to Christmas, and those same roads leading back in to Mexico City can become jammed on any days between December 30th and January 6th as holiday-makers in the provinces return to the capital.

Learn more about Christmas traditions in Mexico

Mexperience helps you to discover Christmas traditions in Mexico and enjoy all the country offers during this important festive period

• The story of Juan Diego and Guadalupe
• Christmas party Piñatas
• The Christmas Aguinaldo
• Learn about Mexican party foods at Christmastime
• Enjoying Mexico’s traditional Christmas Posadas
• December Festivities and the Christmas Experience
• New Year Celebrations in Mexico
• Kings’ Day gifts and Rosca de Reyes
• Articles about Christmas and New Year in Mexico

Statutory holidays are legislated at a Federal level and dates given as a holiday by statute are termed locally as “Dias Feriados.” There are currently ten statutory holidays in Mexico, as well as a range of civic holidays and regional/national festivities.

See also: When to visit Mexico: Seasons and Events

Statutory Public Holiday dates in Mexico

Statutory holidays are dates decreed as national holidays for all workers in Mexico. There are currently ten statutory holiday dates in Mexico, as follows:

January 1

Año Nuevo. New Year’s Day. Banks, offices and factories remain closed.

February 5

Dia de la Constitucion. This day celebrates the promulgation of the country’s 1917 Constitution The date is observed on the first Monday in February.
See also: Long weekend holidays in Mexico

March 21

Cumpleaños de Benito Juarez. The birth date of Benito Juarez, Mexico’s first and most revered President, is celebrated with a public holiday. The date is observed on the nearest Monday to his birth date every March.
See also: Long weekend holidays in Mexico and Benito Juarez
See also: Benito Juarez

March/April:

Semana de Pascua. Easter week holidays vary depending on each year: consult your calendar for details. In Mexico, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are designated public holidays.
See also: Easter in Mexico

May 1:

Dia del Trabajo. Mexico, like many other industrialized countries, Mexico celebrates Labor Day on May 1 every year, commemorating the advent of workers’ unions. All banks and offices close, but most shopping centers remain open for business.

September 16

Dia de la Independencia. This date commemorates the date when Father Miguel Hidalgo made his ‘cry for independence’ on September 16, 1810 in the town of Dolores Hidalgo — an event that ultimately led to Mexico’s independence from Spanish rule. Independence celebrations take place on the evening of September 15; September 16 is a public holiday.
See also: Independence Day in Mexico

November 2

Dia de los Fieles Difuntos. Mexico’s “Day of the Dead”, celebrations take place over 2 days (November 1st and 2nd) and contemporarily, October 31 is often included, taking-in Halloween. Mexico’s banks and businesses close on November 2, to observe this important religious holiday in Mexico.
See also: Day of the Dead in Mexico

November 20

Dia de la Revolucion. November 20 commemorates the start date of Mexico’s 1910 revolution, led by Francisco I. Madero. The date is observed on the third Monday in November.
See also: Mexican Revolution and Long weekend holidays in Mexico

December 1 (presidential election year)

Transmision del Poder Ejecutivo Federal. Mexico’s Federal Government and Presidency returns for re-election every six years. On the date of transition, which is December 1 every six years, Mexico observes a public holiday.
See also: Mexican Politics

December 25

Dia de Navidad. Christmas Day is observed with a public holiday in Mexico.
See also: Christmas in Mexico

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Civic holidays in Mexico

In addition to the national holidays decreed by statute, Mexico observes a number of other Civic Holidays. These are not holidays although some states and municipalities may observe them and offer workers time off in their locale.

February 19

Dia del Ejercito. Army Day, also known as Dia de la Lealtad (Day of Loyalty), commemorates the day when President Madero was escorted to the National Palace by cadets of the nation’s military college.

February 24

Dia de la Bandera. Flag Day was introduced by President Lazaro Cardenas, a man best known for having nationalized Mexican oil reserves in the 1930’s. The day commemorates Mexico’s current flag as well as previous ones. Schools often get children to undertake flag research projects for presentation on this day.

March 18

Anniversario de la Expropriacion Petrolera. This day commemorates the day in 1938 when President Lazaro Cardenas expropriated all oil reserves and declared oil a strategic Mexican national asset.

April 21

Heroica Defensa de Veracruz. The Heroic Defense of Veracruz commemorates the defense of Veracruz in 1914 when the port city was sieged the by the USA.
See also: Guide to Veracruz

May 5

Batalla de Puebla. The Battle of Puebla, or more commonly referred to as simply Cinco de Mayo, is observed as a public holiday in the state of Puebla, but nowhere else in Mexico. The date commemorates the victory of a small Mexican army against a French army double the size on May 5, 1862. The French re-took the city a year later and soon after installed Emperor Maximilian in 1864. The date is far more widely celebrated by people in the USA than in Mexico itself; possibly due to beer and liquor companies aligning themselves with the date as part of their US marketing. The date is sometimes mistakenly associated with Mexico’s Independence, which is September 16.
See also: Cinco de Mayo in Mexico

May 8

Cumpleaños de Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. Miguel Hidalgo is known as the “Father of Mexican Independence.” Although he and his conspirators were captured and executed by the Spanish for their insurgency against the Spanish Crown, his movement gave inspiration and created a political vacuum that eventually led to Mexico’s independence from Spain and, alongside Ignacio Allende and Jose Maria Morelos, is a revered personality in Mexico’s independence history.
See also: Mexico’s History

June 1

Dia de la Marina. Mexico’s Navy Day, acknowledging the nation’s maritime service men and women. The day is commemorated with various military parades.

September 13

Dia de los Niños Heroes. “Boy Heroes” (or Cadet Heroes); this day commemorates the events which took place at the Battle of Chapultepec, in modern-day Mexico City. The battle, which took place during the Mexican-American war in 1847, gave victory to US troops over Mexican forces defending Chapultepec Castle. According to military records, six cadets refused to fall back as the superior US forces moved to take the castle; choosing to fight to the death; the last of the six is said to have wrapped himself in a flag and jumped from the castle point. The event is also commemorated in a permanent monument of six pillars, which stands at the foot of the castle near the capital’s principal boulevard, Paseo de la Reforma.

September 27

Consumacion de la Independencia. Consummation of Independence; this date marks the end of the War of Independence, eleven years after Miguel Hidalgo’s ‘cry for independence’.

September 30

Cumpleaños de Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon. Birth date of Jose Maria Morelos, a general in the armed struggle for independence who took up leadership of the rebellion following the execution of Miguel Hidalgo. Jose Maria Morelos was captured and executed by the Spanish for treason in 1815. Following the execution his Lieutenant, Vicente Guerrero, continued the armed struggle against the Spaniards for Mexican independence. The city of Valladolid was later renamed in his honor to present-day Morelia.
See also: Guide to Morelia.

October 12

Dia de La Raza. Columbus Day; commemorates the Discovery of the New World by the Italian navigator, Christopher Columbus.

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Principal festivity dates in Mexico

These festivities are generally observed in modern-day Mexican culture, but they are not statutory or civic holidays in Mexico.

January 6

Epiphany, also known in Spanish as Dia de los Reyes Magos. In previous generations it was on this day that children received their holiday gifts; today, children receive their gifts at Christmas and sometimes an additional gift on this date. It’s also the date when Rosca de Reyes is taken, a sweet bread inside which is hidden a plastic doll. If your slice contains the doll, you host a party at your home on February 2, Candles mass, and serve Mexican corn tamales.

February 2

Dia de la Candelaria – Candle mass. This is the date when tamales, flavored (sweet or sour) corn paste wrapped in corn leaves and steamed, are eaten. If your slice of Rosca de Reyes contained the plastic doll, traditionally you serve tamales at a house party on this date.

February 14

Not traditionally a Mexican holiday, but with the Anglo-American influence February 14th is celebrated as Valentines Day — Dia del Amor y la Amistad — particularly in more urbanized places across the country.

April 30

Dia del Niño — Children’s Day is widely observed in Mexico. It’s not a holiday but children receive gifts from family members on this day.

May 10

Dia de las Madres — Mother’s Day is an important cultural date in Mexico, as the country has a strong matriarchal culture. Families take their mothers and grandmothers out to lunch. Restaurants are very busy on this date.

May 15

Dia del Maestro — Teacher’s Day, traditionally school-age children will take their home room teacher a small gift.

Third Sunday in June

Dia del Padre – Father’s day in Mexico. Children will buy a gift for their father and some families take their fathers out to lunch. Restaurants are very busy on this date.

November 1 & 2

Dia de los Muertos, also Dia de los Fieles Difuntos: All Saints Day and All Souls Day. One of the most important religious holidays in Mexico. November 1 is not a public holiday but November 2 is. Halloween (October 31) is often tied-in with the festivities these days.
See also: Celebrating Life on Day of the Dead in Mexico

December 12

Dia de la Virgen Guadalupe – Not a public holiday but an important religious holiday in Mexico.
See also: The Virgin Guadalupe and Juan Diego

December 16-24

Posadas Navideñas – Christmas processions begin on the 16th and run until Christmas Eve on December 24.
See also: Posadas Navideñas

December 24 & 25

Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) and Dia de Navidad (Christmas Day). Traditionally, Mexicans take their main Christmas meal and open presents on the evening of the 24th. Some families have taken up the Anglo-American tradition of eating on the 25th. The 25th is a public holiday, but the 24th is a normal working day in Mexico.
See also: Christmas in Mexico

December 28

Dia de los Santos Innocentes — Day of the Innocent Saints. This is a day when Mexicans traditionally play practical jokes on each other, similar to April Fool’s day in the Anglo traditions.

December 31

New Year’s Eve. New Year’s eve is a traditionally a family affair in Mexico, although the squares of main towns and cities will fill up with revelers celebrating the New Year.
See also: New Year Celebrations in Mexico

When to visit Mexico

Mexico offers visitors and foreign residents year-round opportunities to enjoy the climate, culture, and events taking place here. For details about seasons and events see the article about when to visit Mexico