Mexico City, Mexico — Events
Festival Cultural de la Mariposa Monarca (Migration of the Monarch Butterflies)
In Autumn each year the Monarch butterflies gather in southern Canada and begin a journey across North America to Mexico. The insects that begin the journey in Canada will never see Mexico, but their great- great- grandchildren will eventually make it to the small town of Angangueo in Michoacan province some 3100 miles (5000km) from the start of this epic journey. Like the butterflies, tourists flock to the small town of Angangueo to see the millions of butterflies obscuring the sky and some say you can literally hear their wings beating.
Xochimilco Festival
The lakeland area of Xochimilco, just over 10 miles (16km) south of Mexico City, with its canals, colorful barges and floating gardens, provides a fitting setting for an annual festival honoring the ancient Aztec goddess of flowers and the goddess of dance. A lucky girl is chosen as ‘La Flor Mas Bella del Ejido’ (the most beautiful flower of Ejido) and leads a floating parade of flower-bedecked barges through the canals. The four-day festival includes canoe races and horticulture contests, and takes place two weeks before Easter every year.
Cinco de Mayo
Every Fifth of May (Cinco de Mayo) in the state of Puebla, the famous Battle of Puebla is commemorated with traditional music and dancing and general festivities. The Battle saw a smaller Mexican army defeat a larger and more equipped French army on 5 May 1862. Ironically the day is probably more celebrated in the United States than it is in the rest of Mexico, in a similar fashion to the celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day.
Festival of Mexico
The Festival del Centro Historico (Festival in the Historic Center) was inaugurated in 1985 as an exercise in aid of rescuing and restoring the historic art and architecture of Mexico City’s degenerating town center. The event has now earned a reputation as one of the most vibrant celebrations of art and culture in Latin America. During the two-week festival each year more than 100 performances take place from opera and chamber music, through jazz, folk and pop to theater, and classical ballet.
Independence Day
Mexicans celebrate the anniversary of their independence from Spain with great gusto, particularly in Mexico City where the day before the event the Zocalo fills with throngs of people from early morning, awaiting the appearance of the president on the balcony of the National Palace. At 11am the president duly appears to shout ‘the Cry’, a re-enactment of the 1810 call to independence by Father Hidalgo. The emotional crowd replies with ‘Viva!’ and the city erupts with excitement, abuzz with street parties and fireworks.
Day of the Dead
A Mexican tradition with Aztec roots is the honoring of the departed with traditions that nowadays closely resemble those of Halloween celebrated to the north. In Mexico City markets and stores are liberally stocked with flowers, candy skulls, paper skeletons and candles. Processions are made to cemeteries, where vigils or even parties are held. Visitors to Mexico City who want to make the most of the celebration head for Mixquic, a mountain pueblo south of the city, which hosts an elaborate street fair and solemn processions to the town cemetery.
Candlemas Day
Marking the end of the festive season, 40 days after Christmas, Candlemas Day (Candelaria) is a citywide and nationwide traditional celebration, partly religious and partly pre-Hispanic. A chosen member of each family hosts a party, offering tasty tamales and atole (a beverage made from corn). There are numerous street parades with groups carrying representations of Baby Jesus to church where special masses are held, markets and fiestas in the streets and important bullfights at the Plaza de Toros Monumental.
