Fiestas means party and we have many reasons to celebrate. It is said that there is a festival somewhere in Mexico every day of every year. Traditional holidays include national holidays that celebrate the country’s independence, national heroes, and special moments in history. Religious holidays have celebrations that incorporate indigenous roots with church celebrations like Día de Muertos, Navidad, Carnival and La Virgen de Guadalupe. Music and dance festivals occur frequently with dance competitions like Guelaguetza and mariachi and student music or estudiantinas and the Cervantino festival. Other fiestas mark personal reasons to celebrate like Quinceaneras, weddings and birthdays.
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Some of the fiestas are explored and explained in the Cultura Topics listed below.
You can always contact us if you would like a more intense workshop targeted for your group.
Día de los niños – April 30 is commemorated as the national day of the child and many Latinos honor our children with festivals, games, dance, and activities that provide ways for children to learn about their heritage while having fun. Join in the family fun celebration this year.
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Día de las madres – Mother's day is always May 10 in Mexico. Learn about the traditions that are part of this special day like the serenata and some of the things you can do to make this day special for mom.
Here are a few sobremesas to explore how you can celebrate this special day.
Cinco de mayo – The Battle of Puebla is actually celebrated in the US more than in Mexico but it is a very important date in Mexico’s history. It marks a small victory over the French by an army of peasants half the size of the French troops. If the French had won the future of the U.S. might have been changed because it would have freed them to help the U.S. war effort and the Confederates could have beaten the North. Our country could have been very different. View our sobremesa to learn more.
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Día de muertos – This celebration is based on the mix of indigenous and the Catholic tradition of All Souls Day. We see painted faces, costumes, altars, and whole cemeteries decorated for those who have passed and who are honored and celebrated. Learn more about the holiday here.
El nacimiento – Setting up a nativity scene in many Latino homes is just as important as setting up a Christmas tree. In the U.S. nativities are displayed as early as Friday after Thanksgiving Day with the baby being placed in the manger on Christmas Eve and the Three Kings arriving on January 6.
Las Posadas – December 16 marks the beginning of the Christmas season with las posadas, a gathering of traditional songs, processions, and foods that tell the Christmas story. Explore this tradition with our book and cultura kit, Las Posadas, a Journey through Cultura. It can be purchased on El Mercado.
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Cumpleaños – Birthdays are marked at every age and because families are so important within our culture they are celebrated wholeheartedly. Find out about traditions and how birthdays make fun times for families and friends. Learn about the piñata that we love to break at birthday parties.
Quniceanera – In the US it’s sweet sixteen but in our culture fifteen is the age that is celebrated. It’s the year that traditionally shared with the world that a young girl has come of age and transitions from childhood to womanhood. There are damas, chambelanes, padrinos and madrinas and the father is the one who introduces his little girl to society and dances her first dance with the honoree.
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Feast of San Antonio – June 13 is feast day of St. Anthony. In 1692 a Spanish expedition founded and named San Antonio for Saint Anthony of Padua. Over the years the celebration has come to mark not only the founding of the city but a time to tell the real history with the “spinning” of San Antonio. Watch our interview with San Antonio artist, Rolando Briseño.
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