April Events 2006Cuernavaca Flower Fair (Feria de la Flor)
Location: Cuernavaca, Morelos This fair fills Cuernavaca's streets with flower booths and gardening competitions. At night, everyone gathers at the main plaza for a laser light show. Pay a visit to the famous Borda Gardens, once the residence of Emperor Maximillian and his wife Carlota.
International Guitar Festival of Morelia (Festival Internacional de Guitarra de Morelia)
Location: Morelia, Michoacan Michoacan, with its rich musical traditions and home to one of the oldest conservatories in Latin America, is the perfect host for this popular guitar festival. The program features recitals, contests, conferences, seminars and expositions, with local as well as international artists participating from Venezuela, Chile, Germany, Spain, Argentina, Cuba and the Czech Republic. For more information, please visit: www.figmorelia.com Cultural Festival of Zacatecas (Festival Cultural de Zacatecas)
Location: Zacatecas, Zacatecas State This festival features displays of literature, dance, theater, music and art in several venues throughout Zacatecas State. For more information, please visit: www.zacatecas.gob.mx/agendacultural05.htm Mexico City's Fair (Festival de la Ciudad de Mexico)
Location: Mexico City One of the main events in Mexico City taking place at the Sports Palace (Palacio de los Deportes) with great surprises and entertainment for the entire family. This fair, organized by OCESA, includes many attractions that kids and grown-ups will love, like the circus, go karts, amusement park rides, and an incredible Musical Forum that will include many artists like Merengazo 21, Banda Old Days, Sonora Santanera de Carlos Colorado, Conjunto Costa Azul de Rigo Tovar, and much more. The cost of admission is $35 pesos p/p. For more information, please visit: www.ocesa.com.mx Polo Tournament 'Gran Copa Agua Alta'
Location:
Costa Careyes, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco Costa Careyes is located 2 and a half hours south of Puerto Vallarta and a little more than an hour north of Manzanillo International Airport on the Mexican Pacific Coast, on the famous Costalegre. For more information, please visit: www.mexicopolo.com
Sardine Fishing Ritual (Pesca de la Sardina)
Location: Tacotalpa, Tabasco In the picturesque villa of Tapijulapa, an enchanting cavern known as the Cave of the Sardines (Cueva de la Sardina) is the site of an annual religious ritual with prehispanic roots. The ritual involves fishing for sardines for the purpose of imploring Mother Nature to bring sufficient rain for the crops. The more sardines caught during the ceremony, the better the harvest will be. Holy Week (Semana Santa)
Location: Nationwide In Mexico, as in many countries, Easter is synonymous with vacation as hard-working folk trade in offices, tool belts and computers screens for beaches, pyramids and margaritas. Aside from enjoying much needed vacation time, Easter in Mexico is also a nationwide spectacle of pageantry, reverence and celebration, lasting much more than a week. Festivities are planned months in advance and take place all over the country, including passion plays, fervent processions, and altars and displays are visible everywhere.
As with most Mexican celebrations, Semana Santa combines the country's strong Spanish heritage with elements of its prehispanic past. For generations, pilgrims and tourists alike have journeyed to Mexico to witness the festive yet reverent Semana Santa. The solemn festivities usually begin on Palm Sunday, commemorating the day that Jesus arrived to Jerusalem prior to his crucifixion. As the biblical passage goes, palm branches and clothing were spread in his path, and today, reenactments often include these elements. Holy Thursday commemorates the day of the Last Supper, marked by nationwide visits to seven temples, designated churches in each town or city. Good Friday marks the day that Jesus was crucified on the cross, with most Christians fasting on this day and reenactments of the crucifixion taking place all over the country. Easter Sunday is a day for celebration, commemorating the day of Jesus' resurrection, featuring music, dance and cultural activities. In addition to special mass ceremonies, an important and ubiquitous element of Semana Santa is the Passion Play, a dramatic reenactment of the crucifixion of Jesus. The Passion Play was brought over to Mexico by Christian missionaries from Europe at a time when it and other religious plays were a widespread vital element of European culture. The play not only survived in Mexico but was incorporated into the local dramatic rituals already an innate part of the local culture. In Mexico, brilliant Aztec colors are noticeable throughout, and ancient dances are often performed alongside Christian rituals. Most of the celebrations involve solemn processions, plays or reenactments of biblical scenes; others incorporate unusual elements into their festivities such as prehispanic dances and exploding Judases. Thousands travel to popular destinations to enjoy the outdoors and take part in the festivities. Creel, Chihuahua: The mountainous indigenous community of Creel is a popular destination for a Holy Week. Aside from enjoying the myriad of ecotourism activities in the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains, the Tarahumara Indians, one of the few remaining indigenous groups in the country, paint themselves white for Holy Week and host a special series of celebrations including dance and music dating back centuries, fusing prehispanic tradition with Catholicism. San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato: The colonial city of San Miguel de Allende in central Mexico comes alive during Holy Week. By Palm Sunday, the city overflows with visitors with indigenous women selling flowers, palm crosses and religious articles outside the Parroquia, the Gothic cathedral whose tall spires are the focal point of the city. The city's unending pageantry of plays and processions on Good Friday are unparalleled. Children dressed in biblical costumes and men dressed as Roman centurions ride on horseback through the winding cobblestone streets. Life-size statues of the Virgin Mary, the Apostles, Mary Magdalene and John the Baptist are carried through the city. Taxco, Guerrero: The picturesque silver mining town of Taxco is also a popular Holy Week destination, given its proximity to Mexico City. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of many processions which begin in nearby villages. In commemoration of Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, an image of Jesus is mounted on the back of a donkey. As the donkey journeys to Taxco, palm fronds and flowers are laid on the ground. On the night of Holy Thursday, candle-bearing penitents walk in procession to the baroque Church of Santa Prisca. A reenactment of the Last Supper is performed. The Resurrection play, staged around nine o'clock on Saturday morning, is an awe-inspiring site to behold. A final and joyful procession takes place on Easter Sunday. San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi: The colonial city of San Luis Potosí will celebrate its fifty-first Procession of Silence this year, one of the most important Catholic manifestations in the country. With the participation of more than 2,000 Potosinos, the solemn procession will begin at the Templo de Santo Domingo at eight o'clock in the evening on Good Friday and will make its way through the downtown historic area. Similar to the ceremony in Sevilla, Spain, penitents don hoods as they walk silently through the streets, carrying torches and holy images. At the head of the procession this year will be the bullfighters who will participate in the special bullfight on Easter Sunday. During Holy Week, San Luis Potosi features more than 90 events, including concerts, a national food festival, and a tennis tournament, now on its fiftieth year. Ixtapalapa, Mexico City: Few would guess that a small district just south of downtown Mexico City would be in the international spotlight during Semana Santa. More than a million people gather in Ixtapalapa every year to witness an entire town convert into a great stage to present a passion play that has been reenacted annually for 150 years. Months prior to Semana Santa, the town comes alive with preparations for the most important event of the year, incorporating each member of the community. While there is a part for everyone, actors are carefully chosen, with the most important parts such as Jesus and the Virgin Mary being the greatest honor. The actor who plays Jesus in particular must meet certain requirements such as height, weight and physical condition. The part is as physically demanding as it is emotionally challenging, since the reenactment requires the actor to carry a 200-pound cross through the town, after receiving an actual whipping. Michoacan State: Starting with Palm Sunday, performances representing biblical passages take place throughout the state. In San Lorenzo, a small town in the Purepecha area, the celebration takes a special twist, with young people carrying six-foot tall palm leaves to church. Holy Wednesday in the town of Tlalpujahua involves a procession in which huge images of Jesus Christ from the XVI and XVIII century grab the eyes of the spectators. Good Friday in Pátzcuaro and Morelia include silent processions for the arrest, trial, crucifixion, death and burial of Jesus Christ. Easter Sunday, the day of Jesus' resurrection, is the last day of celebration. In Tarimbaro, el carnaval chiquito (the small carnival) takes place during which people dance in the streets while Judas figurines explode like fireworks.
San Marcos Fair (Feria de San Marcos)
Location: Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes State A colorful three-week festival featuring handicrafts, bullfights, folk dancing, games, cockfights, fireworks, cultural events and local cuisine. The National Poetry Prize and a traditional competition of typical dress also take place during this international celebration.
Newport Beach Film Festival
Location: Rosarito Baja California Norte Each Spring, Newport Beach rolls out the red carpet during its annual Film Festival showcasing hundreds of features, short films, documentaries and animation movies from around the world. In addition to film screenings, the festival includes several galas and yacht parties, as well as offers the rare opportunity to interact with directors and screenwriters during question and answer sessions that provide an inside look into the film industry. For more information, please visit: www.NewportBeachFilmFest.com
Rosarito-Ensenada Fun Ride
Location: Rosarito Beach, Baja California Head south of the border with 10,000 of your closest amigos for this fun ride along the Pacific Coast and inland through rural countryside from Rosarito Beach to Ensenada, Mexico. The event course is 50 miles of paved highway on the old Free Road from Rosarito Beach south to the city of Ensenada. Avid cyclists should finish in two hours, with the average time to complete being 4 1/2 hours. For more information, please visit: www.rosaritoensenada.com
59th Annual Newport Beach to Ensenada International Yacht Race
Location: Ensenada, Baja California Yachting competition originating in Newport Beach, California to Ensenada with more than 50 participating yachts, featuring a festival and ceremony upon their arrival in Ensenada. Tabasco Fair 2006 (Feria de Tabasco 2006)
Location: Parque Villahermosa, Tabasco Famous for its Olmec artifacts, Villahermosa Park hosts this colorful state fair where 17 counties share their best in cuisine, arts and crafts. Visitors can also enjoy the colorful boat parade over the Grijalva River and the outdoor theater in the evenings where plays are presented by each county. From April 28 to May 14, some prior festivities take place such as beauty contestants, street band performances and car and boat parades. Children's Day in Mexico
Location: nationwide Not a holiday, but it is traditional to give children small presents on this day. | |
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Since the mass conversion of the indigenous peoples to Catholicism in the 16th century, Semana Santa (Holy Week) - a reverent observance of the last days of Jesus, and Pascua - a celebration of the resurrection - have become the most important religious holidays in Mexico next to Christmas.