Calendar

January 1: Año Nuevo (New Year's Day) is celebrated throughout the region with a midnight dance and the burning of an effigy representing the old year.

January 6: El Día de Los Reyes (Feast of the Epiphany, or Three Kings Day) is the traditional day of gift-giving when children receive their presents brought by the three wise men. A traditional cake is served called Rosca de Reyes (King's cake).

Feb. 2: La Candeleria (Candlemas). The final Christmas fiesta, hosted by whoever got the small plastic Jesus (El Niño) in their piece of King's cake on January 6th. Traditional drink and food such as tamales are served.

February 5: Aniversario de la Constitución Mexicana (Constitution Day). An official holiday honoring the Mexican constitution. Schools, banks and government offices are closed.

February 24: Día de la Bandera, (Flag Day). One week before this holiday the streets are filled with flag vendors. Adults decorate their cars with them and school children participate in a flag ceremony singing patriotic songs about their flag.

February-March Carnaval (Mardi Gras) is a weeklong blow out before Lent with outlandish parades, floats, dance contests, fireworks and outdoor dances (that last well into the wee hours). Both Cancun and Cozumel are famous for their flamboyant carnival parades in which the whole city participates dancing through the street for days on end. Smaller villages will also have bullfights and circuses.

March 21: Aniversario de Benito Juárez (Birthday of Benito Juárez). This holiday celebrates Benito Juarez's Birthday, one of Mexico's greatest heroes. There are parades and sometimes fireworks. Government offices, schools and some businesses are closed.

March 21-22: Inicio Primavera (Spring Equinox) at Chichen-Itza. In the late afternoon when the sun hits the steps of the El Castillo Pyramid, a shadow forms in the shape of serpent. The snake, symbolizing the great plumed serpent deity, Kukulcán, appears to be slithering down to earth. Thousands attend this remarkable display of Maya astrology and mathematics. Book your hotel room early.

April Anniversary of the founding of Cancun. Singing, dancing and other cultural events celebrate the founding of Cancun throughout the month.

Late April to early May The Sol a Sol International Regatta, launched from St. Petersburg, Florida, arrives in Isla Mujeres. The whole island celebrates with dances, fairs, live music and performances of regional dance.

April 30: Día de las Niños, (Children's Day). This holiday is strictly for the children. Special events such as puppet shows and musical shows performed by clowns are held throughout villages and cities accompanied by a free lunch and gift for every child who attends.

May 1: Día del Trabajo (International Worker's Day) is celebrated with a big parade. Offices, schools and banks are closed.

May 5: Cinco de Mayo (5th of May) celebrates the 1862 victory at Puebla when the Mexican army defeated Maximilian and the French army. This rare event (the Mexican has not won many of its battles) is marked with patriotic parades and fireworks. Schools, government offices and some banks are closed.

May 10: Día de las Madres (Mother's Day) is celebrated with a breakfast for Mom. Stores give out small gifts and people stop mothers in the street to wish them well and thank them for their hard work.

Early May to late June Billfish Tournaments take place in Cozumel, Puerto Morelos, Puerto Aventuras, and in Cancun. Fishermen come from all over the world come to try and catch the big game fish that migrate to breed in the surrounding Cancun waters.

June 25 - 28: CHIC, (Caribbean Hotel International Association) holds a conference at the convention center in Cancun's Hotel Zone.

Aug 17: Isla Mujeres Founding Day. This holiday celebrates when the tiny island of Isla Mujeres became a city. This patriotic event is celebrated with a civic parade, outdoor events, live music and an all night dance.

August is the month where most Mexican families go on vacation. Beach resorts, such as Cancun will be filled to capacity as Mexican run to the beaches to escape the heat. Book your hotel room early for this period.

Sept 1: State of the Union Address. The President gives a lengthy speech in the evening about how the country is doing. No liquor is served until after the four to five hour speech is finished. By then everyone is ready for a beer.

Sept. 14-28: Fiesta de San Román (Feast of Saint Roman) is a famous holiday, attracting 50,000 people to Campeche to view the procession carrying the Black Christ of San Román -- the city's sacred patron saint---through the streets.

September 15-16: Patria de la Independencia (Independence Day). The famous historic speech, known as the grito (shout), by Independence leader Padre Miguel Hidalgo, is reenacted in every village throughout Mexico. At midnight the people of the town gather in the square to ring the bell of freedom and shout "Viva Mexico" over and over. A dance and celebration into the wee hours follows.

Mid to late September International Nocturnal Marathon. A national marathon that takes places in the afternoon and continues late into the night.

October 12: Día de la Raza, (Race Day), commemorates the arrival of Columbus in the New World and the founding of the modern Mexican race.

Second week in October: The Isla Mujeres International Music Festival. The whole island comes alive with music and dance as performers come from around the world to participate in this 12-day event.

November 1-2: Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). On All Saint's Day, Mexicans across the country visit the graves of loved ones, decorating the headstones with marigold wreaths and leaving offerings of food and tequila. Often families share a meal with their dearly departed by having a graveside picnic which turns into an all night fiesta. Shops sell skulls pastries and candies to be eaten on the picnic.

November 10 -15: International Caribbean Cultural Festival. Hosted by the state of Quintana Roo, this cultural festival has Cancun and other regional cities hosting a series of events. Performers come from all over parts of the Caribbean to participate in this annual event of poetry, dance and song. The real draw is the variety of salsa music; all the major salsa groups throughout the Caribbean come to perform.

November 20: Día de la Revolución, (Revolution Day). The 1910 Revolution is remembered as an official holiday. Banks, stores, offices and schools are closed.

Month of December: The Cancun Fair has the flavor of a small town fiesta with its rides, booths selling wares from all over the country, entertainment and food. It's an extremely popular event with locals who have left their small villages for the bright lights of Cancun.

Early December: The Most Beautiful Marathon in the World. An international running event put on by the city of Cancun. The route goes starts off at the Hotel Zone, goes through downtown and ends up back in the Hotel Zone. For more information contact the Mexico City office at 52/5574--1065 or the U.S. office at 813/985--5050.

Dec 3 to 9: Fiesta de la Concepción Immaculate (Festival of the Immaculate Conception) is observed for six days throughout the villages of Quintana Roo with processions, folkloric music and dance, fireworks, and bullfights.

Dec. 12: Fiesta de nuestra Señora de Guadalupe (Festival of Our Lady of Guadalupe) is one of the most significant religious holiday celebrated throughout Mexico. Devoted pilgrims journey to the Basilica of the Madonna of Guadalupe in Mexico City and return home via bicycles or on foot. Their arrival is timed to coincide with the midnight mass and the ringing of the church bells. Those who don't make the pilgrimage participate in a procession through town carrying the statue of Guadalupe. A dance and carnival is held after mass.

Dec. 16-25: Navidad (Christmas Week). Throughout the Yucatán, Christmas is celebrated with processions and mass. Children go door to door singing Christmas songs and asking for donations. The most important day of the Christmas season is December 24, known as Nochebuena (Holy Night), when families gather to eat a traditional midnight dinner. No gift giving is done at this time.