Morelia International Film Festival
Date: October 16-24
Location: Morelia

In the  Morelia Internactional  Film Festival, the purpose is to encourage Mexicans who have talent and to offer an environment for a International exhibition. Activities will include outdoor showings as well as conferences and exhibits. www.moreliafilmfest.com/

Octoberfest
Date: October 9-November 9
Location: Guadalajara, Jalisco

“Carnivals of the World” is the theme for this year’s ‘month-long celebration. There will be dances, cultural exhibits, food and concerts by well known celebrities.   http://www.fiestasdeoctubre.com.mx/2010/2010.php

Riviera Maya Underground Film Festival
Date: October 13-17
Location: Playa del Carmen

This festival is a competition for independent short films and documentaries from around the world grouped in the following categories: Documentary, Animation, Experimental and Fiction.  http://www.rmuff.com

Festival of the Skulls
Location: Aguascalientes
Date: October 28- Nov 2

At this event you will find traditional sugar skulls and other items used for Day of the Dead altars.   The festival also promotes traditional Mexican food and seasonal fruits from the region.  Don’t miss the altars in honor of the dead and the skeleton parade.  http://www.festivaldecalaveras.com.mx/

Day of the Dead
Location: All throughout Mexico
Date: October 31st- November 2nd

This is a celebration that is used to remember and honor loved ones who have died. Family members set up alters with food and pictures in their homes and spend time visiting their loved ones’ graves and decorating the graves with colorful flowers and pictures.

More information:

• Watch Day of the Dead video
• Learn how to make an altar
• Day of the Dead, a Uniquely Mexican Festival

Daylight Saving Time Ends
Location: All throughout Mexico
Date: Sunday the 31st

Daylight savings time starts on the first Sunday of April and lasts until the last Sunday in October.  Clocks are set back one hour at 2 am on Sunday the 31st.

National Fair of Zacatecas
September 2nd – 19th
Zacatecas

Located in the beautiful, historic city of Zacatecas, the Feria Nacional began in 1940 and has hosted more than two million visitors since 2002.  Events for the entire family range from live concerts and theatre, bullfights, children’s activities at the spectacular Foro Infantil, amusement rides, crafts exhibitions as well as countless livestock, automobile, cultural exhibitions, folkloric dance and dazzling fireworks displays.
Details: http://www.ferianacionalzacatecas.com.mx

Taco and Mariachi Festival
September 3rd to 12th
Mexico City

What could be more fun than two of Mexico’s most lively and delicious offerings:  mariachi and tacos!  If you’re in Mexico City, make sure you bring your dancing shoes and appetite to Plaza Garibaldi for this 9-day event.  Festivities will include a mouth-watering array of tacos and select regional fare as well as world-class Mariachi bands and an assortment of artistic and cultural events.

Independence Day
September 15th & 16th
Countrywide

Any proud, wide-eyed Mexican school child will tell you that Dia de la Independencia commemorates the patriot movement led by Father Miguel Hidalgo in a fight against decades of brutal class prejudice and for a free and independent Mexico.  While the day is officially marked on September 16th with countrywide celebrations and parades, the fun begins the night before with spectacular fireworks displays and “Viva Mexico!” shouted in cities and town squares across Mexico.  One of the most exciting places this year to experience “El Grito” will be in the cradle of Independence — the State of Guanajuato.  Elaborate celebrations are planned in Guanajuato, Dolores Hildago and San Miguel de Allende.

Visit the 2010 Bicentennial site: www.english.bicentenario.gob.mx
Read: NY Times article for more about the history of Mexico’s fight for Independence
Event information: http://www.thisweekinsanmigueldeallende.com

Feria de San Miguel/Festival of San Miguel
September 17th to October 4th
San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato

For nearly three weeks, the entire city opens up its arms and parties well into the night in honor of the patron saint of San Miguel, Saint Michael Archangel.  If San Miguel wasn’t already lively enough, you’ll enjoy parades, dances, exhibitions, concerts, fireworks and some of the best fare anywhere in the country.  Do yourself and favor and treat yourself, and your loved ones, to a once in a lifetime experience and join the celebration at 4:00am in front of La Parroquia under a canopy of exuberant fireworks, castillos and cascading church bells.

Details: San Miguel de Allende event information

Fall Equinox
September 22
Kulkulcan – Chichen Itza & Zacatecas – La Quemada

Among the Mayan pyramids in Chichen Itza, you’ll find the famed El Castillo, a temple to Kukulkan, the feathered serpent deity.  During the spring and fall equinoxes the shadow cast by the angle of the sun and edges of the nine steps of the pyramid combines with the northern stairway and the stone serpent head carvings to create the illusion of a massive serpent descending the pyramid.  One of many sights to behold during your first, or 100th trip, to Chichen Itza.

Visit:  http://www.chichenitza.com/

For even more equinox curiosity, explore the fascinating colonial center of Zacatecas.  Just 45 minutes from the city, visit the archaelogical site of La Quemada.  Archaeological offerings include a Hall of Columns, the Pyramid of the Sun, the Labyrinth and the Temple of the Skulls.  The fall equinox in Zacatecas finds Picacho hill aligning with equinox sunrise, illuminating the Labyrinth with a direct light beam and creating what is called a “solar path”.

Visit: http://mexico.a-holic.com/zacatecas/

August is an exciting month filled with festivals in many parts of the Republic celebrating chile en nogado, international film, chamber music and more.

International Chamber Music Festival
San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato
July 30 – August 15

San Miguel hosts the 32nd annual chamber music festival featuring world-class musicians, workshops and many free concerts taking place at venues around San Miguel…. the Parroquia, Teatro Angela Peralta, Bellas Artes and more.
For details visit:  http://www.thisweekinsanmigueldeallende.com.

Exposicion Nacional de Artesanias (ENART)
Tlaquepaque, Jalisco
August 17 – 21

One of the largest exhibitions of handicrafts, furniture, talavera pottery, ceramics by artisans from all over Mexico.  The show takes place in picturesque Talaquepaque near the center of Guadalajara.
For details and list of exhibitors, visit:  http://www.enart.com.mx/

Monterrey International Film Festival
Monterrey
August 20 – 29

One of the most important cultural events in Mexico, this year’s festival commemorates Mexico’s 200th anniversary.  Films will be shown at venues around the city.  For ticket and hotel information, visit: http://monterreyfilmfestival.com

Chiles en Nogada Festival
Puebla
August, 2010
The festival has been held since 1991 and celebrates one of Mexico’s favorite dishes, Chiles en Nogada, chiles in walnut sauce.  The program includes exhibitions, crowning of the festival queen, artistic events, culinary workshops and events for kids in venues throughout the state.
Watch this video to learn how to prepare this dish.

For more August events visit:  http://gomexico.about.com/od/monthlyeventslist/a/august_events.htm

Dia de la Marina (Navy Day)
National
June 1st
If you find yourself near a coastal town or city on June 1st, you are likely to see parties and firework displays celebrating Navy Day in Mexico – festivities may include civic ceremonies, parades, fishing tournaments, sailing competitions, parties and fireworks.

Baja 500 Off-road Race
Ensenada, Baja California
June 4th to 6th
More than 150,000 spectators converge on the Baja peninsula to enjoy 3 full days of exciting, world-class off road motor sports.  This international race draws teams and fans from around the world and annually becomes one of Mexico’s greatest parties.
http://www.score-international.com/

The Noches de Ajijic International Festival of Gastronomy and Music
Ajijic, Jalisco
June 5th to 8th
Set on the shore of Lake Chapala, the town of Ajijic has become a center of art and culture. The Noches de Ajijic International Festival of Gastronomy and Music highlights some of the region’s best. Festival activities will draw residents and visitors to a full array of artistic expressions.  Free activities scheduled every day include gastronomical exhibits, conferences, tastings and arts/crafts exhibits, gallery walks, live entertainment, concerts at the waterfront and a spectacular grand finale wrapped around the theme of ancient Mexico.
http://nochesdeajijic.com/

Feria de Corpus Christi (Feast of Corpus Christi)
Papantla, Veracruz
June 11th to 14th
The Feast of Corpus Christi (also known as the Feast of the Body of Christ) is celebrated on the eighth Thursday after Easter. The celebration commemorates the ritual of the Eucharist and is a reflection of the Maundy Thursday observance during Holy Week – a merging of Papantla’s indigenous and Catholic religious traditions. Most of the action occurs at a fair just outside town, with artistic expositions, fireworks, concerts, cockfights, a running of the bulls, celebrations, local cuisine, exhibits, processions and indigenous dances such as the tocotines, guaguas, negritos, Santiagueros and voladores.
http://portal.veracruz.gob.mx/

Fiestas de Mayo San Pedro Tlaquepaque (National Ceramics Fair and Fiesta)
Tlaquepaque, Jalisco
June 14th to July 11th
Tlaquepaque, on the outskirts of Guadalajara, is a world-renowned pottery center.
During the month-long festival, the traditions and pastimes of this artistic hub are showcased with craft demonstrations, competitions, mariachis, dancers and colorful parades – children can enjoy a wide variety of games and activities while adults enjoy the art, the mariachi and all can savor authentic Mexican cuisine.
www.Tlaquepaque.gob.mx

Día de los Locos (Day of the Crazy People)
San Miguel Allende, Guanajuato
June 13th
An annual event, falling on the Sunday after the feast day of San Antonio Padua, this traditional and very popular festival is characterized by the “Los Locos” (Crazy ones) parade.  People from all walks of life don colorful and elaborate costumes that range from animals and cartoon characters to political figures and cross-dressing men.  The streets truly come alive with revelry, music, candy throwing, costumes, masks and dancing until dawn.   More:  http://www.thisweekinsanmigueldeallende.com
Festival Internacional de Marimbistas (International Marimba Festival)
Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas

June 18 – 21, 2009
Musicians from around the globe descend on Chiapas to strut and strum their stuff.
In its ninth year, the Festival Internacional de Marimbistas marimba brings together marimba players, builders, researchers and aficionados with concerts held in the Parque de las Marimbas and in the Teatro de la Ciudad Emilio Rabasa.
http://www.conecultachiapas.gob.mx/

Gay Pride March
Mexico City
June 20th
The 31st annual Mexico City Gay Pride March celebrates gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, transgender and transvestite lifestyles.
http://www.marchadelorgullo.org.ar/

Jalisco en Vivo Concert 2010
Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara
June 20th
Two free open-air mega concerts featuring names like Gloria Estefan, Alejandro Fernández, Paulina Rubio and Joan Sebastian and more…
http://www.jaliscoenvivo.com.mx/

Día del Padre (Father’s Day)
Nationwide
June 21st
Father’s Day is celebrated in Mexico with various events around the country.  Please consult your local cities events calendar for specific goings on.

Feria Nacional Durango (Durango National Fair)
Durango
June 26th to July 19th
Durango attracts close to one million visitors each summer for its annual month-long Feria Nacional De Durango (Durango’s National Festival) that has taken place since 1929. It is the most important festival in the history of the state and the city itself, in which Durango celebrates the anniversary of the founding of the city on July 8, 1563.  The Feria offers various cultural exhibits, conferences, concerts, theatrical performances, ranching and agricultural shows, equestrian events, charreadas and pop music concerts.
http://www.ferianacionaldurango.gob.mx/

Día de San Pedro y San Pablo (Saint Peter and Saint Paul’s Day)
Nationwide
June 29th
Día de San Pedro y San Pablo is a liturgical feast in honor of the martyrdom of apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul.  This feast day is celebrated nationwide with religious services, mariachi bands, folk dancers, parades, and regional fare.

Dia de la Santa Cruz – Day of the Holy Cross
Nationwide, May 3rd

The holiday is for the common man; celebrated by guilds and unions involved in construction.  In each town, a cross-adorned with flowers and paper is placed atop buildings under construction and the workers celebrate with local cuisine, tequila, mezcal, and local beer.

Cinco de mayo, Batalla de Puebla – Commemoration of the battle of Puebla
Throughout the country, May 5th
Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.  While the world celebrates Cinco de Mayo, Pueblo pulls out all the stops by actually recreating the battle.

Dia de la Madre – Mother’s Day
Nationwide, May 10
Mothers are held in very high esteem in Mexican culture and on this day they are celebrated in style.  The day may start off with serenades of Las Mananitas, schools have festivals in honor of the mothers of students and restaurants are packed as moms take the day off from cooking and are treated to a meal out with their families.

Restaurant Week in Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta, May 15 to 31
Puerto Vallarta’s best restaurants offer spectacular three-course menus (with three options each) discounted by up to 50%. So enjoy your favorite restaurants at the fixed prices (no beverages or tips included).

Visit:  http://www.virtualvallarta.com/puertovallarta/entertainment/restaurantweek/index.shtml

National Wine and Cheese Fair
Tequisquiapan, Queretaro, May 28 to June 6

Any fan of luxury travel will love the National Wine and Cheese Festival of Tequisquiapan in Mexico’s Colonial Heartland.  The festival features tastings, lectures, competitions, and workshops.  Approximately 25 restaurants from Tequisquiapan, San Juan del Rio, and Queretaro are involved in the fair, and the most important wineries of the region are featured during the festival as well as wines from France, Italy, Spain, Chile, Australia, and Argentina.

Details here:  http://www.rutadelquesoyvino.com/

Festival de la Paella – Paella Festival
Ezequiel Montes, Querétaro, May 29 and 30

Paella is a popular rice-based dish from Spain that has a number of delicious and interesting variations.  The Cavas Freixenet holds an annual paella festival where you can sample different versions of this popular dish.  Included in the 80 pesos entrance fee is a glass of wine and children enter and eat for free.

Details:   www.freixenetmexico.com.mx/Freixenet/Paella.htm

International Motorcycle Week – Mazatlan, Sinaloa. April 7-11th.
300,000 bikers and spectators converge in Mazatlán for this annual event, including extreme acrobatics competition, drag racing and nightly concerts culminating in a 18-mile parade.

Rosarito – Ensenada Fun Ride. April 17th.
Over 7,500 cyclists participate in this scenic 50-mile ride along the Free Road.

Feria Nacional de San Marcos – Aguascalientes, April 17- May 9th.
A stone’s throw from San Miguel de Allende, Aguascalientes hosts Feria Nacional de San Marcos or “Feast Day of San Marcos”. People of all ages flock to the internationally renowned festival with bullfights, concerts, rodeos, art displays, music and more.

Newport to Ensenada International Yacht Race – April 23-25th.
This colorful race has earned the title of the world’s largest international yacht race. Visit www.nosa.org for details.

Children’s Day – Nationwide, April 30th
Parties, activities, celebrations and events throughout the country.

Viva el Tequila Festival
March 12 to 22
Guadalajara, Jalisco

Hmm. I guess we could drone on for pages about the fascinating history, developments and importance of Tequila. However, probably all we need to say is this: Tequila! 100′s of types in the home of Tequila. Tequila anyone?  www.vivaeltequila.com

Semana Santa (Holy Week)
March 24 to April 6
San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato

Holy “week”?  Try TWO full weeks of parades, processions, parties, prayers and pageantry. San Miguel de Allende, one of Mexico’s most fashionable and historic cities, pulls out all the stops. Come experience all the glory and revelry of Semana Santa as this truly memorable destination opens its loving arms to the world.

Benito Juarez’ Birthday – Natalicio de Benito Juarez
March 21
Celebrated nationwide, but particularly in Oaxaca

Share in a nationwide celebration for Benito Juarez, the first full-blooded indigenous national ever to serve as President of Mexico and to lead a country in the Western Hemisphere. For resisting the French occupation, overthrowing the Empire, and restoring the Republic, as well as for his liberal efforts to modernize the country, Juárez is often regarded as one of Mexico’s greatest and most beloved leaders.

Mexico City Festival – Festival de Mexico en el Centro Historico
March 12 to 29
Mexico City

Festival de México is one of Mexico’s and Latin America’s leading international arts festivals — with 18 days of unique, innovative and entertaining international and Mexican dance, theater, music, visual arts, multimedia, and operatic events taking place at concert halls, churches, palaces, plazas, and other venues across Mexico City. http://festival.org.mx/main/home

Día de los Muertos is the holiday that most reflects the culture of Mexico. It is appealing to some foreigners and appalling to others. In the pre-Hispanic Mexican culture, engaged in the perpetual process of creation and destruction. Like people everywhere, Mexicans fear death, but we have a special relationship with it: we mock it, joke with it, tease it, dance with it, create art about it, and most of all honor it publicly.

The spirited Days of the Dead images that began in the Mexican popular culture are slowly being embraced in the U.S. Calacas, dancing skeletons, and other death images called muertos, adorn some of the most beautiful and sophisticated homes, north for the border. They are represented both, in folk art that is displayed and household items that are in use daily.

The ancient Aztecs considered death the beginning of liked, so the maximum aspiration for the culture was a glorious death. The most honored death, la muerte florida or the flowering death, could only be achieved by dying through ritual sacrifice to the Gods, dying in combat or dying in childbirth. They believed that all souls lived on after the forty day journey of death was completed. They returned to earth for one day each year, seeking nourishment, community and remembrance. It is important for Mexican families to maintain a good relationship with their dead relatives because it is the dead who bring good fortune to the living.

The Aztecs honored their dead with fiestas and rituals connected to the season of harvest. The ancient ritual calendar, still in use today, designates November 1st, the “Little” Feast for the Dead, as the day to pay tribute to the deceased children and November 2snd, the “Great” Feast for the Dead, to pay tribute to the deceased adults. Both days are celebrated with beautiful, artful and touching traditional altars created especially for the occasion – in homes businesses and cemeteries. The visible preparations for the celebrations begin in med-October. A great effort is made in the preparation of traditional foods and the altar, known as the ofrenda. Artifacts carried over from the pre-Colombian Aztec culture, but still relevant in modern times: candles, masks, flowers sugar skulls, papel picado, skeletons, traditional foods, favorite drinks and vices, copal incense, bread, handmade toys, children’s clothing, household images of saints and musical instruments are used to create the beautiful ofrendas.

The journey from Mictlan, the Aztec name for the underworld, is long, tiring and treacherous. A wash basin, town, soap and a mirror are placed near the ofrenda so the departed spirit can cleans themselves before joining in the festivities. A glass of water is always set out for the soul to quench its thirst. Other beverages served at the feast are agua fresca, fruit-flavored water and stole, the popular hot, chocolate-flavored corn drink sold on the streets of Mexico. Decorated sugar skulls are an essential part of the altar and, in the weeks preceding the holiday, women work around the clock to prepare the sugar creations sold in the famous sugar markets of Patzcuaro and San Miguel de Allende. The names of the departed are written on the sugar skulls, but also can be found in these mercados. Sweets are particularly essential for the muertitos, dead little ones, as are newly purchased toys. The abundance of coconut in brown sugar syrup, ensure that muertitos will need to visit a dentist upon their return to the other side.

Traditional meals, comprised of favorite foods of the deceased are set to in various clay pots. They might include the finest ears of the harvest corn, home-made tamales, rich mole chicken, chili adobe sauce, red rice, hand-rolled enchiladas, fresh tortillas and delicious fruits of the season. A dish of salt, symbolizing purification, is always included. The pan de muertos; rich egg breads made in the shape of animas are placed on the altars. They are decorated with sugar angels or baker’s clay images of Jesus and other saints and also bear the names of the deceased. It is believed that the soul can taste the food through the smells and that the spirit consumes the essence of the meal. When the spirit has had its fill, the feast is then shared with relatives and visiting friends.

The ofrenda is usually set up on a table or on a straw mat on the floor. Every item on the altar has some significance. The yellow marigold, called zempoazochitl in Aztec, is the flower of death, and the markets are transformed into brilliant fields of gold in the days leading up to the holiday. The marigold carries the smell of death, which leads the deceased home. Nube and magenta terciopelp, baby’s breath and win-colored coxcombe respectively, are also used. A copal incense burner, placed in the center, produces a pungent wordy aroma that also guides the dead to the ofrenda. Images of favorite saints and candles decorated with ribbons are placed on the altar, one for each deceased family member. As the candle is lit, the names of the departed are called out, as if to say “Come back home, my son, your family awaits you”. The flame of the candle lights the way. Family photographs and objects that the departed valued in the life are set out to give the dead the feeling of being home again. The dead care about the material things of their former life and are comforted by their favorite possessions. Huaraches, rebozos, straw hats, saddles and carving tools are some of the items you might see on a campesino altar. Silver jewelry, silk shawls and a statue of the bullfighter might be found on an urban altar. Newly pressed clothes are placed on a chair below a wall mirror. Just as in life, each soul has a bit of vanity and wants to be admired during the fiesta.

The Aztec custom of using papel picado in religious rituals continues, curtains of paper banners, papel de chino picado, with cut-out designs of skeletons, flowers, birds and coffins are hung behind the altar. Purple banners represent mourning and hot pink or bright orange signify the joyful return to the land of the living. In many parts of Mexico, families spread a floral carpet on the ground leading to their home as additional insurance that the spirit will not get lost along the way. The objects on the ofrenda are meant to share the pleasures of life with the dead. Pulque, beer or tequila is served as a reminder of their good times on earth. A smoker will be treated with a favorite brand of cigarettes and Coca Cola is inevitable. The ofrenda is an offering and a visual expression of the gratitude, love and veneration the family feels for the visiting spirit.

In the Mexican tradition, no soul is left unacknowledged. On October 27th, the souls with no living relatives are welcomed back into the community by hanging bread and water on the doors. October 28th is the day of the Accidentados, those souls that died in accidents or through violence. October 30th, Los Niños Limbos, the souls of the children that died in childbirth before being baptized and are thus free of sin. An Aztec legend tells of a paradise where a tree of human breasts provides mothers’ mild for the Angelitos. They enter the earth at noon on their day and must depart by noon the following day. On November 1st, the church bells toll to announce the arrival of the elder traveling spirits, the Faithful Dead.

At sundown processions of families arrive at the cemeteries laden with an abundance of flowers, overflowing picnic baskets, musical instruments and even boom boxes for entertaining the souls during the night long vigil of communion. Gravestones are cleaned, fresh plants and flowers are placed in the newly turned soil, and grave markers are given a fresh coat of colorful paint. The graves are extravagantly decorated with flowers, bread, foods and fruits. Families reminisce with the departed, recounting events of the past year. Candles flicker and the scent of copal incense penetrates the air. The dead walk among the living, dancing to the music of live mariachis. Some families pray the Rosary or red the Bible aloud. The following day the fiesta continues in a more social atmosphere of gossip, picnics, drinking and music. The celebration ends on the evening of November 2, but the memories linger in the souls of the dead who can return to the afterlife, knowing that they have not been forgotten by those they love. Viva México!

Learn More about Day of the Dead

• Watch a video of Day of the Dead with altars and images from San Miguel de Allende
• Learn how to build your own Day of the Dead altar
• Read “Día de los Muertos: Transforming Ourselves Upward, and consider this as a time for inner reflection.

Dia de los Muertos in Mexico

Visit Oaxaca, Patzquaro or San Miguel de Allende to participate in traditional Dias de los Muertos celebrations. While you’re in San Miguel, stay at Casa Quetzal. Owner and artist Cynthia Price has a special Dia de los Muertos package for guests that include your very own altar-building kit and instructions for constructing an altar while you are in San Miguel. Visit the hotel now….

About the Author

Maria Teresa Valenzuela is an indigenous spiritual teacher and healer from an enduring lineage of shamanic healers and curanderos in the Sierra Madre of Chihuahua, Mexico. Taught the shamanic medicine way by her grandmother and father, she brings to her work a wealth of knowledge in Mesoamerican wisdom, myths, and traditional forms of indigenous medicine and healing. Drawing on her indigenous heritage, career as a registered nurse, life experiences, and traditional training as a “Mujer de la Medicina,” Maria Teresa serves as a unique bridge across traditions and cultures. She travels throughout the United States, Mexico, and Central America sharing her healing gifts and wisdom.

Maria Teresa conducts spiritual workshops, retreats and individual healing work using indigenous healing methods and visionary medicine plants.

Email Maria Teresa: laikaraiya@yahoo.com

Photo credits: Susie Blauser – www.sanmigueldeallendephotos.com