Christmas in Mexico is a festive and joyous occasion. Celebrations typically combine religious traditions with family gatherings, cultural customs, and a lot of noise. Though department stores start selling Christmas decorations as early as September, most towns will not start decorating in earnest until the second week of December. With mild temperatures, colorful architecture, and…
Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a favorite holiday of the Mexican people. While death is a somber experience in many parts of the world, the Mexicans have created a 3-day celebration filled with music, laughter, and of course, food. If you are planning a trip to Mexico in the future,…
Goodbye 2020! You weren’t that bad… It’s the last day of the year, and as I sit here in my usual all-day attire of sweatpants and a sweater sipping a little cava, I look back at this year not so much with disappointment but with motivated amusement. The year did not turn out as we…
If you think you’ll experience peace and relaxation when you visit or move to Mexico, keep dreaming. Mexicans are party animals. If there is something to celebrate, there will be music, dancing, singing, fireworks and most especially, the loud booms of cohetes and palomas. Cohetes and Palomas 24/7 Today, December 12, is the religious holiday…
Many of you probably had big plans to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Maybe it was a beach barbeque in Australia, skiing in Switzerland or one that we’ve talked about doing; celebrating in the Puerto del Sol of Madrid eating our 12 grapes at midnight. We, on the other hand, did not have any plans for…
Dia de la Candeleria is a Catholic holiday with many names and meanings. In English, it’s called Candlemas. It’s also called Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus and Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It falls exactly 40 days after Christmas (birth of Christ) and is the final celebration day for…
On Three Kings Day, our friends Michelle and Alex invited us to go on a day trip with them to a little town called Acambay. Alex’s grandfather grew up in Acambay and the family had some land just outside of town. We didn’t know anything about Acambay, so we were excited to see something new. Located…
It’s one thing to SEE a tradition in another culture, it’s a whole other world to be a part of it. Living in Mexico has allowed us to get to know our neighbors and learn about Mexican traditions and culture. One of those traditions is Las Posadas. Posadas is Spanish for lodging or accommodation. This…
Experiencing Christmas in another country is always exhilarating. What will be similar? What will be different? This is our first Christmas in Queretaro, Mexico. Lights shaped as Christmas trees and stars hang from the lamp posts. Stores are draped in garlands of poinsettias and sparkling lights, and Christmas music blares out of every doorway and…
Halloween in Mexico has many similiarities to the Anglo version. Since this is our first Mexican Halloween we wanted to make sure we were honoring the tradition correctly. We asked our neighbors and they confirmed that kids dress up and go around door to door asking for candy. They don’t say “trick or treat”, but…