Winter celebrations in

Mexico
2nd term
Before starting, do you
know when Winter
begins and ends?
The name “winter” comes
from an old Germanic
word that means “time of
water” and refers to the
rain and snow of winter in
middle and high latitudes.

https://www.britannica.com/science/winter
 In the Northern Hemisphere it is
commonly regarded as extending
from the winter solstice (year’s
shortest day), December 21 or 22,
to the vernal equinox (day and night
equal in length), March 20 or 21.
During Winter season, there
are a lot of festivities in
Mexico...
Mention the ones you remember!
We have some
special celebrations
in Winter…

• The Posadas
• Pastorelas
• Villancicos
• piñatas
Rosca de Reyes The Three Kings’ Day
 You know very well
these traditions but how
about the following
ones?
Noche de los rábanos
(The night of the radishes)
December 23
Oaxaca

• It is an annual tradition
in Oaxaca, Mexico. It
began over a century ago
when merchants carved
festive radishes and sold them
in the zócalo (town square)
during the Christmas season.
Día de la Candelaria
(Candlemas)
• Throughout Mexico on this date, people dress up
figures of the Christ Child in special outfits and
take them to the church to be blessed, and they
also get together with family and friends to eat
tamales, as a continuation to the festivities of
Three Kings' Day on January 6.

• This is mainly a religious and family celebration,

but in some places, such as Tlacotalpan, in the
state of Veracruz, it is a major fiesta with bullfights
and parades.
 The beginning of the
agricultural cycle:
Purépechas and Tepahuanes

• On Candlemas Day, in Michoacan

and Nayarit, some rituals that
include seeds offerings, typical
food, traditional dances such as “La
Danza de los Viejitos”, band music
and devotion to Catholic images
are taken place to bless the seeds
and the agricultural activities for
having abundance and good luck.
Now, choose a tradition that
your family celebrates during
Winter and write some
sentences about how you do it
on your notebook.