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Holy Celebrations in Mexico

Dulce Vida Travel Semana Santa () is the week leading up to . This is a very important religious holiday season in Mexico. Religious celebrations are at the forefront, but, since Mexican schools have two vacation period at this

(the week of Semana Santa, and the following week, which is referred to as

Semana de Pascua, which means "Easter Week"), it's also a time when Mexican families head to the beaches and tourist attractions.

Dates of Semana Santa Semana Santa runs from (Domingo de Ramos) to Easter Sunday

(Domingo de Pascua), but since students (and some workers) enjoy a two-week break at this time, the full week preceding Easter as well as the following week comprise the Semana Santa holiday. The changes from year to year. The date is calculated based on the cycle of the moon and the spring equinox, with Easter falling on the rst Sunday after the rst occurring on or after the equinox. To make it easier, here are the dates for Easter for the next few years:

2020 - April 6 to 12

2021 - March 29 to April 4 2022 - April 11 to 17 2023 - April 3 to 9

2024 - March 25 to 31 Plan Ahead for 2021 -Travel During Holy Week Since schools in Mexico have a two-week vacation period for the Easter holiday, this is effectively spring break for Mexicans. This tends to be the hottest and driest time of year through most of the country, making the beach a magnet for those wanting to escape hot city streets. If you're planning to travel to Mexico during this time, be prepared for crowds on beaches and at tourist attractions, and be sure to make your hotel and travel reservations well in advance.

Religious Celebrations The religious observances of Semana Santa do not take a back seat to beach fun, however. and passion plays take place all through the country, though different areas celebrate in different ways and certain communities have more effusive celebrations. Among those places where Holy Week is celebrated en grande are Taxco, Pátzcuaro, Oaxaca and San Cristobal de las Casas.

Jesus' nal days are evoked in the rituals that take place during the week.

Palm Sunday - Domingo de Ramos On the Sunday prior to Easter, known as Palm Sunday, the arrival of in is commemorated. According to the Bible Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and the people in the streets laid down palm branches in his path. In many towns and villages in Mexico on this day there are processions reenacting Jesus' triumphal entry, and woven palms are sold outside churches.

Maundy Thursday - Jueves Santo

The Thursday of Holy Week is known as or Holy Thursday. This day commemorates the washing of the feet of the apostles, the and Jesus' arrest in Gethsemane. Some Mexican traditions for Maundy Thursday include visiting seven churches to recall the vigil the apostles kept in the garden while Jesus prayed before his arrest, foot-washing ceremonies and of course with Holy Communion. - Viernes Santo

Good Friday recalls the crucixion of Christ. On this day there are solemn religious processions in which statues of Christ and the Virgin Mary are carried through town. Often the participants of these processions dress in costumes to evoke the time of Jesus. Passion plays, dramatic recreations of the crucixion of Christ, are presented in many communities. The largest takes place in Iztapalapa, south of

Mexico City, where over a million people gather every year for the Via Crucis.

Holy Saturday - Sabado de Gloria

In some places there is a custom of burning Judas in efgy because of his betrayal of Jesus, now this has become a festive occasion. Cardboard or paper mache gures are constructed, sometimes with recrackers attached, and then burned.

Often the Judas gures are made to look like Satan, but sometimes they are made to resemble political gures.

Easter Sunday - Domingo de Pascua You won't come across any mention of the or chocolate eggs on

Easter Sunday in Mexico. This is generally a day when people go to Mass and celebrate quietly with their families, though in some places there are festivities with reworks, and jubilant processions with music and dancing. Best Places to Celebrate Easter in Mexico Easter is celebrated throughout the country, but if you want to see some interesting and unique Mexican celebrations, here are some good destinations to visit to witness local traditions:

Cholula, Puebla: In this small town outside of Puebla, the oor of the town

square is decorated with elaborately designed tapestries made of sand and ower petals. A large with people carrying religious gures makes

its way around the square, walking over the tapestry and destroying it as they

go.

Oaxaca, Oaxaca: on Good Friday, a silent procession winds its way through the city streets, many of the participants carry religious gures and some

wear pointed hoods. These hoods may remind you of the Ku Klux Klan, but

they actually predate the klan and have their origin in Spain. The hoods represent the wearer's repentance for their sins.

San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato: On Good Friday, locals wrap strings of

recrackers around gures made of paper mache that are called Judases, but often represent political gures or other important and controversial

personalities. The re crackers are set off and crowds of people enjoy the

spectacle of the burning paper mache gures. Mexico City: The town of Iztapalapa, just outside Mexico City, is the scene of

one of the most elaborate and fervent Passion Plays. Participants take the

dramatization very seriously and spend months preparing to take on the

roles of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Roman soldiers and more, In the city proper, trafc is lessened and the vibe is more laid back during the two weeks of the

Semana Santa break than any other time of year as many city dwellers

abandon the city to travel, making this an ideal time to enjoy the city without the crowds.. Join our Community!

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Semana Santa Article was Published by:

Semana Santa Traditions BY SUZANNE BARBEZAT Updated 02/29/20.