JANUARY
January 6 – Día de los Reyes (Three Kings Day)
In the morning, children receive gifts in remembrance of the three kings who brought gifts for the baby Jesus. (The children believe that the three kings visited during the night and brought the presents, much like Santa Claus in other countries.) Families gather and eat a meal which includes the Rosca de Reyes, a ring-shaped sweetbread decorated with figs and fruits. Whoever finds a small plastic figure representing the baby Jesus in his or her piece of sweetbread must host a party and serve tamales and atole on February 2 (Candlemas).
FEBRUARY
February 2 – Día de la Candelaria (Candlemas)
Religious holiday that combines pre-Columbian and Catholic traditions. February 2 is half-way between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. It’s also forty days after Christmas, which means this is the day that the baby Jesus would’ve first been brought to the temple by Mary and Joseph. Families who gathered on Three Kings Day reunite for another party on Candlemas.
February 5 – Día de la Constitución (Consitution Day)
Celebrates the approval and passage into law of Mexico’s Constitution on February 5, 1917. Banks, government offices, and businesses are closed on the first Monday in February.
February 14 – Día del Amor y la Amistad (Love and Friendship Day)
Mexico’s Valentine’s Day, when love and friendship are celebrated. Many restaurants in Puerto Vallarta offer specials and promotions on this day.
February 24 – Día de la Bandera (Flag Day)
People celebrate and fly the Mexican flag. Flag Day has been a holiday since 1937.
MARCH
March 21 – Natalicio de Benito Juárez (Birthday of Benito Juárez)
Celebrates Benito Juárez’s birth in 1806. Juárez served as President of Mexico for fourteen years, until his death in 1872. He had a huge impact on Mexican history; he’s credited with establishing capitalism and civil society, limiting the power of the Church, defeating the French invasion, and keeping Mexico a sovereign nation. Banks, government offices, and businesses are closed on the third Monday in March.
APRIL
Semana Santa (Holy Week) and Semana Pascua (Easter Week)
Centering around Easter, this two-week period in late March or April is the most important religious holiday of the year.
Holy Week is the week before Easter, from Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday. It commemorates the last days and crucifixion of Christ. Processions and biblical re-enactments (“Passion Plays”) are common.
The next week, Easter Week, starts on Easter Sunday and ends on the following Saturday, marking Christ’s resurrection and the end of Lent.
It should be noted that schools as well as many businesses are closed during these two weeks. As such, this is the peak vacation time for Mexicans, many of whom travel to the beach. This makes Holy Week and Easter Week the busiest time of the year in Puerto Vallarta.
MAY
May 1 – Día del Trabajo (Labor Day)
Commemorates workers’ movements in Mexico, specifically those of 1906 and 1907. Union workers hold a daytime parade through downtown, followed by dancing, performances, and festivities. Banks, government offices, and businesses are closed.
May 5 – Cinco de Mayo (The Fifth of May)
Celebrates the Mexican army’s victory over a larger, better-equipped French army in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Not to be confused with Mexico’s Independence Day (September 16), Cinco de Mayo is not a major holiday in Mexico outside of Puebla.
SEPTEMBER
September 15/16 – Grito de Dolores/ Día de Independencia (Cry of Dolores/Independence Day)
By far the most important patriotic holiday of the year, this is a celebration of Mexico’s independence. On the night of September 15, 1810, a Catholic priest named Miguel Hidalgo y Castilla gathered the people of the town of Dolores in front of his church. He delivered a fiery speech and convinced the town to rebel against the Spanish colonial rulers. The Mexican War of Independence started a few days later, and after eleven years of fighting, Mexico finally gained sovereignty in 1821.
Throughout Mexico, the night of the 15th is one of the biggest parties of the year, and Puerto Vallarta is no exception. As in other cities, at 11 PM, the mayor of PV gives a re-enactment of Hidalgo’s speech from his balcony to the crowd below. Afterwards, there is an amazing fireworks show, and the festivities continue late into the night. On the 16th, banks, government offices, and businesses are closed.
NOVEMBER
November 1/2 – Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
The Day of the Dead actually consists of two days: November 1 and 2. Like many Mexican holidays, it combines both indigenous and Catholic influences. The original ritual, thousands of years old, took place during the month of August and was dedicated to the Aztec goddess Mictecacihuatl, the Lady of the Dead. When the Spanish arrived, they considered the holiday paganistic, but they were unable to eliminate it. Instead, they tried to assimilate it with Catholicism by moving it to the same dates as existing Catholic holidays: All Saints’ Day (Día de Todos los Santos) on November 1 and All Souls’ Day (Día de los Fieles Difuntos) on November 2.
Today, Day of the Dead is an opportunity for Mexicans to honor deceased friends and family. November 1 is used to honor the dead who were unmarried and under eighteen years of age, and November 2 is dedicated to those who were over eighteen or married. Families travel to cemeteries and clean their relatives’ graves, and then decorate them with photos and marigolds. People also leave offerings of things that the deceased enjoyed during their lifetimes, such as food, candy, alcohol, or cigarettes. In Puerto Vallarta every year, there is an exhibition of Day of the Dead alters at city hall and at the cultural center on the Cuale River Island.
November 20 – Día de la Revolución (Revolution Day)
Commemorates the beginning of the Mexican Revolution in 1910. It was during the election of this year that Porfirio Díaz, who had ruled as a dictator-like president since 1876, jailed his opponent Francisco I. Madero and declared himself the winner. In a letter written from his jail cell, Madero called on the people to revolt against the government on November 20. The resulting revolution lasted over a decade.
In Puerto Vallarta there are many Revolution Day parades and performances, especially around the Malecón downtown. Banks, government offices, and businesses are closed on the third Monday in November.
DECEMBER
December 1-12 – Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe (Festival of the Virgin of Guadalupe)
Celebrated throughout the country on December 12, this holiday celebrates the miraculous appearance of the Virgin of Guadalupe (the Virgin Mary, who had brown skin and spoke Nahuatl) to a man named Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin in 1531.
Since the Virgin of Guadalupe is the patron saint of Puerto Vallarta and the town’s famous cathedral is dedicated to her, this holiday is even more important in Vallarta than in the rest of Mexico. Here, the festivities start at the beginning of December, with daily processions of people from neighborhoods, businesses, and organizations. Those taking part in the pilgrimages wear white, hold candles, and make their way to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where they are blessed and go to brief masses. As the 12th of the month approaches, the processions grow bigger, more frequent, and more elaborate with floats, Aztec dancers, and musicians. A great place to watch the festivities is along Juárez Street downtown, where food vendors set up their stands with tacos, candy, and deserts such as flan.
December 12 – Anniversary of Puerto Vallarta’s Founding
Celebrates the founding of Puerto Vallarta, or “Las Peñas” as the village was known at the time, by Don Guadalupe Sanchez Torres in 1851.
December 16-24 – Posadas
Starting on the evening of the 16th, neighborhoods get together to stage posadas – re-enactments of Joseph and Mary’s search for a place to stay in Bethlehem. The posadas are usually followed by parties.
December 24/25 – Noche Buena/Navidad (Christmas Eve/Christmas Day)
On Christmas Eve, families usually attend a midnight mass, and then go home for a large dinner together. Some traditional Christmas Eve foods include:
Tamales – corn meal mixed with meat and vegetables, put into a wet corn husk, and then steamed.
Pozole – a soup with hominy, spices, and chicken or pork. Served with onions, radishes, and limes.
Bueñuelos – thin pieces of fried dough covered with brown sugar.
Atole – a thick drink containing water, cornmeal, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and sometimes fruit or chocolate. Served hot.
Ponche con piquete – literally, “punch with a sting.” A hot fruit punch with alcohol added.
On Christmas Day, the family usually reunites to eat leftovers.
December 31 – Noche Vieja (New Year's Eve)
Puerto Vallarta is a festive town to begin with, so it should come as no surprise that New Year’s Eve is one of the biggest parties of the year. Highlights include a thirty-minute-long fireworks show, a block party on Olas Atlas Street, and special menus at many restaurants.
