 |
Island Events |
 |
- New Year's Day (January 1)
National Holiday.
- Three Kings Day (January 6)
Christmas continues on through Epiphany, which is called Dia
de Los Reyes or Three Kings Day and in the eyes of Mexico's children
is far more important than December 25. On the eve of Kings Day,
little ones leave their shoes out in the hopes that they will awake
to find them filled with toys and other treasures, just as the magi
came bearing gifts for the newborn infant so long ago.
Children and adults alike gather on January 6 to partake of a traditional
treat called Rosca de Reyes or kings' bread, which is a crown-shaped
sweet bread decorated with "jewels" of candied fruit. Tiny plastic
baby Jesus figures are hidden in the dough before baking and custom
dictates that whoever gets a piece of bread containing a baby is
obligated to host another party on Candlemas, February 2.
- Constitution Day (February 5)
Speeches and ceremonies commemorating this National Holiday.
- Election Cozumel (First Tuesday every 4 years, sometimes affects Carnaval dates)
Cozumel's local Presidente (equivalent to the City Mayor) is elected this day and serves for four years.
- Carnaval (See Carnaval Section for actual dates which vary annually)
To celebrate the approaching of Lent with parades, fireworks, food, music and dancing.
Click Here to view our Carnaval Photo Archive
Click Here to view the latest Carnaval Calendar of Events
- Benito Juarez's Birthday (March 21)
National Holiday honoring president and leader of the 19th-Century
Reform movement. Vernal Equinox.
- Late March (Spring Equinox)
Visitors come to the main temple at Chichen Itza to see the descent
of the serpent Kukulkan. History has it that the Maya constructed
the temple in a way that during equinox a beam of sunlight creates
a shadow moving down towards earth resembling a slithering snake.
This occurrence is supposed to bring out a good harvest.
- Holy Week (Dates Vary Annually))
Celebrations and processions in observance of Christ's resurrection.
Feast of El Cedral Late April, Early May. Feast in honor of the founding
of Cozumel.
- El Cedral Festival (Last week of April, Early May)
According to a mixture of oral history and legend, during the
War of the Castes a group of Mayans commanded by Cecilio Chi descended
upon the village of Saban, planning to kill all of the whites and
mestizos living there. Fleeing inhabitants sought refuge in the local
church, however, their hiding place was soon discovered and the machete-wielding
warriors took the lives of many of the villagers.
Among the wounded survivors was a young man by the name of Carimiro
Cardenas who had weathered the attack with a small wooden cross clutched
in his hands. Cardenas believed that the tiny crucifix had saved
his life and made a firm promise that once he found safety and a
new home, he would organize a yearly religious festival and that
his descendants would continue the tradition.
This sacred holiday begins on April 23rd with a prayer vigil at dawn,
followed by daily morning and evening novenas leading up to May 3rd.
On that day, the faithful perform the solemn baile de las cabezas
de cochino, which literally translates to dance of the pigs' heads.
The heads are a sacrificial offering to God in that He was the first
to sacrifice for his people through his suffering on the cross.
For 154 years the Holy Cross Festival has continued to be the heart
of what is now a larger non-religious festival called La Feria del
Cedral. Descendants of the mostly Spanish families who founded the
villages of San Miguel and El Cedral continue to participate annually
in the Baile de las Cabezas de Cochino, while "newcomers" enjoy a
wide variety of activities, including sports and cultural events,
rodeos, folkloric dancing, live music and horse racing.
While the island of Cozumel has changed greatly over the years, El
Cedral Festival continues to signify 154 years of tradition that
began with the promise of a grateful campesino from Saban.
- El Cedral Festival (Late April, Early May)
Feast in honor of the founding of Cozumel. See above.
- Cinco de Mayo (May 5)
National holiday commemorating Mexico's defeat of the French
in the Battle of Puebla in 1862.
- Cozumel's International Billfish Tournament (Dates Vary Annually)
Competitors from around the world compete in the waters of the Gulf.
- Mexico's Independance Day (September 16)
Viva Mexico! Mexico celebrates its independance from Spain in 1821.
This national celebration is observed here in Cozumel with a grand
fireworks display in front of the Municipal Building on Raphael Melgar.
There will be countless types of local cuisine in the nearby food
court as well as games and rides for the kids.
In the early nineteenth century, Mexico began talking about a revolt
against Spain and a priest by the name of Miguel Hidalgo from Delores
was a leader of one of the rallying groups. Hidalgo and his officers
were planning a revolt for late fall of 1910.
The Spaniards found out about the revolt and their government
retaliated by ordering the arrest of Hidalgo and his officers.
Hidalgo in turn called a meeting at his church on the evening of
September 15, ringing the bell to call his parishioners to mass.
He then rallied the congregation to fight, giving a speech known
as the "Grito de Delores" or the "Cry of Delores",
and the crowd responded with bursts of "Viva Mexico"
and Viva La Independencia". These famous words are still remembered
and are said each year as towns and cities across Mexico celebrate
independence day.
Everyone fought together, including the Criollos (wealthy Mexicans
of Spanish descent), Mestizos (children born from the marriage
of a Spaniard and an Indian), and Indians. Armed with clubs, knives,
stone slings, and ancient guns, they fought as they marched to
Mexico City. A battle took place in Guanajuato between the Spanish
soldiers and Hidalgo's followers. The army sacked the town, killing
the Spaniards. They continued to fight on their way to the capital.
When they finally reached Mexico City, the army hesitated before
going in to fight and some of them even deserted the army. Before
the year was over, Father Hidalgo was captured and executed. Some
continued to fight for the cause and Father Hidalgo's Grito de
Delores became the battle cry of the Mexican War of Independence.
The people fought for eleven years before they finally won their
freedom.
In modern-day Mexico, Independence Day is a major celebration
and is given far more historical importance than Cinco de Mayo.
The party begins on September 15, the eve of independence day,
when crowds gather in zocalos and plazas all across Mexico. The
villages are decorated with red, white and green flags and colorful
flowers, and music fills the air. But when the clock begins to
strike eleven, silence falls over the citizens and the village
mayor steps forward to ring the symbolic liberty bell and give
the "Grito de Delores" as the crowd responds with "Viva
Mexico".
The actual day of September 16 is similar to July Fourth in the
United States, featuring rodeos, parades, bullfights, dances and
grand feasts.
- Autumnal Equinox (Late September)
Visitors come to the main temple at Chichen Itza to see the descent
of the serpent Kukulkan. History has it that the Maya constructed
the temple in a way that during equinox a beam of sunlight creates
a shadow moving down towards earth resembling a slithering snake.
This ocurrence is supposed to bring out a good harvest.
- Feast of San Miguel (September 29)
Feast of San Miguel, patron saint of the island.
- Dia de Los Muertos - Day of the Dead (November 2)
More than 500 years ago, when the Spanish conquistadors landed
in what is now Mexico, they encountered natives practicing a ritual
that seemed to mock death. It was a ritual the indigenous people
had been practicing for at least 3,000 years and one that the Spaniards
would try unsuccessfully to eradicate. That ritual is known today
as Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead and is celebrated throughout
Mexico and even in some parts of the United States. Today people
don wooden skull masks called "cacaos" and dance in honor
of their deceased relatives. The wooden skulls are also placed on
altars that are dedicated to the dead. A relative or a friend may
munch on sugar skulls, made with the names of the dead person on
the forehead.
We can trace these modern traditions back to the Aztecs and other
Meso-American civilizations, which kept skulls as trophies and displayed
them during the ritual. The skulls were used to symbolize death and
rebirth, as well as to honor the dead, whom the Aztecs believed came
back to visit during the month-long rites. Unlike the Spaniards,
who viewed death as the end of life, the natives viewed it as the
continuation of life. Instead of fearing death, they embraced it.
To them, life was a dream and only in death did they become truly
awake.
The Spanish conquerors considered these customs to be sacrilegious
and perceived the indigenous people to be barbaric and pagan. But
like the old Aztec spirits, the ritual refused to die. The make the
custom more Christian, the Spaniards moved the dates so that it coincided
with the All Saint's Day and All Soul's day which their predominately
Catholic country celebrated on November 1 and November 2, which is
when it is celebrated today. Originally it fell on the ninth month
of the Aztec solar calendar, which is approximately the beginning
of August, and was celebrated for the entire month. Festivities were
presided over by the goddess Mictecacihuatl. This goddess, know as
"Lady of the Dead," was believed to have died at birth. Now some
3,000 years later, families in Mexico and even some parts of the
United States erect altars in their homes, dedicating them to their
dead. They surround the site with special flowers, foods, photos,
lighted candles, and sometimes glasses of holy water from the neighborhood
Catholic Church.
Local residents as well as tourists can experience this ancient tradition
firsthand by visiting the second floor of the island's museum during
the month of October, or attending a special viewing of children's
altars at Colegio Americano the end of October.
For more information email American Community Services at acs@cozumelinsider.com,
or call the ACS offices at 869-0504.
- Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution (November 20)
Celebration of the Mexican Revolution of 1910 with parades, speeches
and ceremonies.
- Festival de Guadelupe - The Virgin of Guadalupe (December 12)
December 12 is arguably the most important day of the year for millions
of Catholics across Mexico as they honor a figure that is considered
to be the centerpiece of the Catholic faith in their country.
 According
to tradition, the Virgin first appeared to a peasant by the name
of Juan Diego in a rural area not far from what is now Mexico City.
The story says that she identified herself as the "mother of God"
and told Diego to ask the archbishop of Mexico to build a shrine
on that very hillside from which she would preside over those "who
love me and trust in me."
Some who question the legend believe that it is more than coincidence
that this particular spot was also the place where the hard-to-convert
Aztecs worshipped Tonantzin, the mother of all gods. In any event,
the Indians of Mexico responded enthusiastically to the arrival of
the brown-skinned goddess who spoke their language and they were
content to have found a replacement for objects of worship that had
been taken away by the Spaniards.
Over hundreds of years, the Virgin of Guadalupe has evolved into
much more than a symbol of the Catholic Church. It is the icon that
led the country's revolution and gave birth to Mexico's independence,
becoming a symbol of national pride and strength.
Veneration of the Virgin came to Cozumel via the Yucatecans who were
introduced to a similar image known as Our Lady if the Immaculate
Conception by the Franciscan order of the Catholic church in the
state of Yucatan. Ceremonies honoring the Virgin were cleverly designed
to complement the pagan rituals that were part of Yucatecan culture
at that time.
Today Cozumelenos worship through in-home services  and
novenas consisting of traditional songs and recitation of the rosary,
beginning December 1 and continuing through December 12. During this
period the ever-present statues and shrines built as integral parts
of most Cozumel homes are decorated with flowers, lights and candles.
On these twelve days many followers organize street processions where
participants dressed in white are often accompanied by sound systems
so that neighbors and bystanders can join them in song and prayer.
On the eve of the feast day, thousands gather at Cozumel's Virgin
of Guadalupe church for prayers and blessings before beginning a
pilgrimage that will last far into the night, taking them to the
east side of the island, then to the southern tip and back again
to San Miguel and Corpus Christi church. The majority of the participants
are organized groups consisting of families, service clubs, unions
and company employees. While the route is generally covered on foot
in a relay fashion, others make the journey in decorated cars or
trucks as well as the occasional bicycle.
While the main purpose of the pilgrimage is to honor the mother of
God, in most cases the passage also serves as an opportunity to formally
offer promises and petitions to the Virgin of Guadalupe for the coming
year.
- Las Posadas - Christmas (December 16)
Christmas festivities begin December 16 with Las Posadas (the
inns) and continue for nine days, symbolizing the nine months that
Mary carried the baby Jesus in her womb.
In colonias throughout Cozumel, neighbors, families and church groups
gather to reenact the journey of the holy family as they traveled
from Nazareth to Bethlehem, seeking shelter on the eve of the savior's
birth. The modern-day parade of pilgrims stop at designated houses
to sing their request for shelter while those waiting behind the
closed door respond with a musical refrain, telling them they have
no room.
The tradition of Las Posadas most likely evolved through the teaching
methods employed by the Catholic conquistadors and their clergy.
Because the Spaniards didn't speak the local language, they created
plays that would convey the story of the birth of Jesus to the pagan
natives. The people responded enthusiastically to this form of theater
and added their own cultural touches including traditional dishes
and the ruthless smashing of piñatas.
 La
Rama (December 16)
As with most customs in Mexico, La Rama was born out of Indian ritual
and in this case is an extension of an Aztec ceremony commemorating
the rebirth of nature. The tradition of singing La Rama (the branch)
is believe to have started in the state of Vera Cruz, eventually
making it's way to the Yucatan and then Cozumel.
Officially starting December 16, it generally involves self-organized
groups of children who decorate a branch from a tree or plant and
then go from door to door shouting "cantamos la rama?" (can we sing
the branch?). Carrying homemade lanterns and accompanied by a rhythm
section of kitchen utensils, the groups launch into a very lengthy
song with an ever-changing melody, always including some verses that
ask the audience to give them their aguinaldo (a sort of Christmas
bonus) if they are pleased with the performance.
The same group of children may take to the streets night after night
until just before Christmas eve, generally entrusting their winnings
to one of the children's mothers, at which time the merry band will
use their stash to buy piñatas and treats for their very own Christmas
party.
|
|
 |
 |
|
