What is Mexican Christmas like? Full of various celebrations, colors, and good food!

Mexican Christmas holidays combine old Indian customs and Christian traditions uniquely.

The result is fascinating rituals.

What are piñatas?

How is Radish Night celebrated?

What Christmas flower does the whole world owe to Mexico?

Let’s discover together how Christmas is celebrated in Mexico.

When is Christmas celebrated in Mexico?

Because approximately 80% of Mexicans belong to the Catholic Church, Christmas is a popular holiday in Mexico. In Mexico, as in many other Latin American countries, the Christmas season lasts longer than, for example, in Europe.

The “Christmas season” here begins every year as early as December 12th with Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe, or Our Lady of Guadalupe Day, and even ends on February 2nd with Día de la Candelaria, or Candlemas Day.

Las Posadas is celebrated from December 16 to December 24, when children go around houses with candles, singing and begging for shelter. Posada means refuge or asylum; this tradition represents Mary and Joseph seeking shelter in the biblical Christmas story. Each of the nine days represents humility, strength, detachment, charity, trust, justice, purity, joy, and generosity.

The most important day of the Mexican Christmas is Christmas Day. It marks the end of the Posadas holiday, which ends with a special Christmas Eve meal. This night is called Noche Buena, and most families celebrate.

Do you know Mexican Christmas traditions?

Christmas in Mexico is characterized by several specific traditions rooted in the country’s Spanish history. The official start of Mexican Christmas is December 12, known as Our Lady of Guadalupe Day. Millions of Catholics worldwide make a pilgrimage to see the image of the Virgin Mary in the Basilica de Guadalupe.

Maria played an essential role in Mexican history, and, among other things, she was the patroness of the rebellion against the Spanish. Although this day is an official public holiday, most Mexican companies organize celebrations for their employees. On the night before the holiday, vigils are held in front of local churches.

Another Mexican Christmas custom is Las Pastorelas. These Christmas plays depict the shepherds’ journey behind the star of Bethlehem to find the biblical manger. Some plays can be humorous, while others are more serious and show the trials and tribulations the devil put the shepherds through to see the baby Jesus.

Many families attend a special Mass known as the Misa de Gallo, or Mass of the Rooster, at midnight on Christmas Day. Then, to celebrate Christmas in Mexico, there are fireworks.

The last holiday related to Christmas in Mexico is La Calendaria, which falls on February 2. Large celebrations are traditionally held on this day. Specific regions of Mexico also have their own Christmas traditions. For example, in the city of Oaxaca, Noche de los Rabanos, or Night of the Radishes, is held on December 23rd. This unique celebration involves carving local radishes into various figurines, including wild animals, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and mythical creatures.

Tradicional NOCHE DE RÁBANOS en OAXACA | Ganadores 2019

What are the Mexican Christmas symbols?

Although in Mexico, we also meet Western symbols of Christmas, such as Santa Claus and the Christmas tree, the traditional symbols are different. One of them is piñatas. What is a piñata? These are a kind of “clay vessels” in the shape of a sphere. They are covered with colored papers with seven points representing the seven deadly sins.

Piñatas usually hang from a long rope that is pulled to keep the ball moving. Children and adults try to hit the piñata with a wooden stick, but they are blindfolded. Covering the eyes represents blind faith; the wooden pole represents virtue. Sweets are hidden inside the piñata, which fall out when broken. They represent the reward for belief in God.

Another popular Mexican Christmas decoration is nativity scenes or nacimientos. They are often much larger and more colorful than the ones we meet here. Some Mexican families do not have Christmas trees at home but display nacimientos instead. Paper lanterns are also a popular Christmas decoration in Mexico.

The poinsettia, or poinsettia, is a popular Christmas decoration worldwide. It originally came from Mexico, and the ancient Aztecs had already cultivated it.

The first Christmas tree was brought to Mexico by the French Emperor Maximilian in the 1860s when he lived there. Today, both natural and artificial Christmas trees are popular in Mexico. Mexican families usually decorate them to be extra colorful.

Traditional Mexican Christmas decorations are made of straw, tin, and ceramics. They often feature biblical images or local iconography, such as cacti or parrots. Christmas carols in Mexico are called villancicos.

Who brings the children’s presents?

Santa Claus, known as Santa Clos, was not originally part of the Mexican Christmas; his popularity only increased in the mid-20th century under the influence of the American Christmas. Traditionally, Mexico’s most important Christmas figure has always been the Three Kings. They leave gifts for the children to find on Día de los Reyes, or Three Kings.

While in northern Mexico today, many children receive gifts as early as the night of Christmas Eve, in southern Mexico, it is still expected to receive gifts on January 6th. Last but not least, in some families, he brings gifts to the children – El Niñito Dios.

What is eaten in Mexico at Christmas?

A traditional Mexican Christmas dish is pozole. It is a thick soup of hominy, a special type of corn, chicken, or pork, and chili garnished with vegetables. This dish is a Mexican Christmas Eve feast staple, which may include roast turkey, roast pork, tamales, and salt cod.

Another traditional Mexican Christmas food is romeritos. This dish consists of green vegetables cooked in a traditional Mexican mole sauce with potatoes and shrimp.

Ensalada Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve salad, is made with seasonal fruits and vegetables, nuts, and a citrus dressing. It usually contains lettuce, beets, carrots, pineapple, pecans, and pomegranate seeds.

Bunuelos is a traditional Mexican Christmas dessert. These fried fritter-like pastries are sprinkled with cinnamon or drizzled with hot sugar syrup. After eating this delicacy, a wish is traditionally made, and the plate is thrown on the ground.

Ponche, a warm fruit punch, may also be served with Christmas Eve dinner in Mexico. Adults can drink rompope, which is similar to eggnog but with rum added.

What places to visit in Mexico at Christmas?

Most of us associate Mexico primarily with summer vacations. If you decide to spend Christmas in Mexico, you can look forward to fewer tourists and more peace in admiring the local sights.

• Oaxaca – one of the best places to visit in Mexico at Christmas. The city is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List for its magnificent buildings. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountain range, its archaeological sites offer a charming allure.

• San Miguel de Allende – the city in the central part of the country is known for its historic center built in the Baroque style. Christmas parades and celebrations here have a particular and impressive atmosphere.

• Cabo San Lucas – the famous resort on the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula and is a picturesque destination often considered “paradise on earth”. The city has miles of beaches that offer a range of water activities, even during the Christmas holidays.

• Chiapas highlands – one of the most unusual places you can visit at Christmas in Mexico. The mountainous highlands are full of small towns inhabited by indigenous communities, some of which belong to Mayan traditions.