Christmas In Mexico: Unique Traditions And Celebrations

Christmas in Mexico is a vibrant, festive affair, with celebrations lasting from December 12 to January 6, and one final celebration on February 2. The season begins with the feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico's patron saint, and ends with the Día de la Candelaria, when Mexicans bring the infant Jesus from their nativity scenes to church for a blessing. In between, there are processions, parties, and religious services, as well as delicious food and drink.

Christmas in Mexico: food and drink

Christmas in Mexico is a month-long celebration, with festivities taking place from 12 December to 6 January. Food is an integral part of the celebrations, with families gathering to share large feasts and traditional dishes.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, or Noche Buena, is a significant day in Mexico, with families coming together to share a grand feast. There is no one traditional Christmas dinner, and the dishes vary depending on the region and family traditions. However, some popular dishes served on Christmas Eve include:

• Pozole: A thick soup made with hominy, chicken or pork, and chillies, topped with greens.
• Tamales: Small pork tamales are common in the northern region, while the south favours large tamales steamed in banana leaves. Other variations include chicken tamales in tomatillo sauce and vegetarian tamales filled with poblano peppers and cheese.
• Bacalao: Salted codfish, often served in a spicy tomato sauce (bacalao a la vizcaína).
• Romeritos: A green vegetable cooked in a mole sauce with potatoes and shrimps.
• Pavo Navideño: Roasted stuffed turkey served with gravy, usually prepared with spices like cumin and achiote.
• Ensalada de Noche Buena: A fruit-based salad served on Christmas Eve.

For dessert, bunuelos are a popular choice. These are fried pastries sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon or dipped in a hot sugar syrup.

Christmas Drinks

To accompany the feast, Mexicans enjoy festive beverages like warm ponche (a spiced fruit punch made with sugar cane, prunes, apples, and tejocotes) and atole (a hot, thick corn-based drink). Adults often add a splash of rum or tequila to their ponche. Another popular drink is rompope, a Mexican version of eggnog that can be served warm or cold, with or without alcohol.

Other Christmas Treats

In addition to the main feast, there are plenty of other treats to enjoy during the Christmas season in Mexico. Sweet tamales and buñuelos are commonly enjoyed during the holidays, as well as pineapple upside-down cake (volteado de piña). For those with a sweet tooth, there's also Mexican wedding cookies, sopaipillas, and sweet corn tamales.

Christmas decorations in Mexico

Poinsettias, known as 'nochebuena' in Mexico, are also commonly used as Christmas decorations. They are named after the Spanish phrase for 'Christmas Eve', and were appreciated by indigenous people in the mid-winter, who believed they were a symbol of fallen warriors receiving new life. Christmas trees are becoming more popular in Mexico, but they are not the main decoration as they are in many other countries.

In the lead-up to Christmas, Mexican homes, residential units, and buildings are decorated with paper lanterns, evergreens, and moss. During the 'Posada' processions, which take place from 16 to 24 December, children carry candles and a board with painted clay figures of Mary and Joseph, and sing at each house they visit. The outside of the houses are decorated with evergreens, moss, and paper lanterns, and 'luminarias' or 'farolitos' (paper sacks with shapes cut into them and a candle inside) light the way for the processions.

Christmas music and performances in Mexico

Christmas in Mexico is a month-long celebration, with festivities running from 12 December to 6 January. Music and performances play a significant role in these celebrations, with a mix of traditional and contemporary tunes, as well as plays and processions.

Traditional Music

The traditional Christmas music in Mexico is called 'villancicos', which are akin to Christmas carols. Popular villancicos include:

• "Los pastores a Belén"
• "Riu, riu, chiu: El lobo rabioso"
• "Los peces en el río"

Contemporary Music

Contemporary Christmas music in Mexico includes Spanish covers of well-known foreign songs, such as "Jingle Bells".

Las Posadas

From 16 to 24 December, children often perform 'Las Posadas' processions. These processions re-enact Mary and Joseph's search for shelter in Bethlehem. Children carry candles and a board with painted clay figures of Mary riding a donkey and Joseph. They go from house to house, singing a song asking for a room. Eventually, they are welcomed into a house, where they say prayers of thanks and enjoy a party with food, games, and fireworks.

Pastorelas

'Pastorelas' are theatrical productions about the shepherds' journey to see the newborn baby Jesus. These plays are often comedic, with the devil trying to stop the shepherds by tempting them along the way. However, the shepherds always succeed in reaching Jesus, sometimes with the help of the Archangel Michael.

Nativity Scenes

Nativity scenes, known as 'nacimiento', are very popular in Mexico. They are often large and elaborate, with life-size figures. In addition to the usual figures of Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the shepherds, and the Three Kings, Mexican nativity scenes may include unique figures such as women making tortillas, fish in a river (a reference to a popular Mexican carol), and even images of Lucifer.

Midnight Mass

On Christmas Eve, many families attend a midnight mass, followed by a family feast.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Mexico

Christmas Eve in Mexico

Christmas Eve, or Noche Buena, is a time when Mexican Christmas traditions are in full swing. It is a day of unity, with offices closing and people gathering with their families. The last Posada takes place on Christmas Eve, followed by a late-night mass known as La Misa Del Gallo (The Mass of the Rooster). The mass celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, and it is followed by a flurry of fireworks.

After the mass, everyone enjoys a traditional feast, including dishes such as Romeritos, served with dried shrimp and potatoes in a tasty green mole sauce. This is also a great time to enjoy a little Ponche Navideño, a warm Christmas punch made by simmering Mexican fruits with cane sugar and spices. Christmas Eve usually ends at midnight with the opening of presents.

Christmas Day in Mexico

After the festivities of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day in Mexico is usually a quieter day. Families visit friends and relatives, exchange gifts, and spend time together. It is a day of rest, with local stores and shops closing.

A Mexican Christmas dinner often begins with oxtail soup with beans and chilli. This is followed by roasted turkey and a salad made of fresh fruits and vegetables. Another option is pork and chorizo pozole, a slow-cooked Mexican stew. For dessert, a favourite is a Buñuelo – a crispy, fried tortilla covered in cinnamon and sugar.

Christmas Day to Epiphany in Mexico

Christmas in Mexico is observed from 12 December to 6 January, with one final celebration on 2 February.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day in Mexico is a quiet affair, with families resting after the festivities of Christmas Eve. Leftovers from the midnight feast are often eaten throughout the day.

28 December: Day of the Sainted Innocents (Dia de los Santos Inocentes)

On 28 December, Mexicans celebrate the Day of the Sainted Innocents, which is similar to April Fools' Day in the UK and US. It commemorates the infants killed by King Herod to avoid the arrival of Christ. It is also said that on this day, you can borrow any item and not have to return it.

6 January: Three Kings Day (El Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos)

For many Mexicans, especially children, the most anticipated day of the festive season is not Christmas, but 6 January, or Three Kings Day. This festival celebrates the arrival of the Three Kings, Wise Men or Magi, Melchor, Gaspar and Baltazar, who visited the newborn baby Jesus.

On the night of 5 January, Mexican children leave clean, empty shoes to be filled overnight with sweets, small toys, or money. Some children also fill their shoes with hay and lay out water for the kings' camels. In other areas, gifts can be placed under a Christmas tree or household Nativity scene. Children also write letters to the kings, telling them how good they have been and what gifts they would like to receive.

On Kings Day itself, families and friends gather to drink Mexican hot chocolate or atole (a sweet, warm, corn-based drink) and eat Rosca de Reyes, a sweet bread shaped like a wreath, topped with dried fruit and a sugar glaze to resemble a crown encrusted with jewels. The cake contains several tiny plastic or porcelain dolls that symbolise Baby Jesus. The fact that the figures are hidden in the dough is said to represent the secrecy needed to protect the child Jesus from King Herod.

2 February: Candlemas (La Candelaria)

On 2 February, Mexicans celebrate Candlemas, which marks the end of the Christmas season. Locals take their Christ figurines to church to receive a blessing. Afterwards, everyone heads to the house of the person who found the baby Jesus inside the Rosca de Reyes for a Mexican-style feast, which often includes tamales.

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