With the blink of an eye, we are just a month away from the time of winter celebrations, for many, the best season of the year. The cold weather arrives giving you the chance to use those Christmas sweaters, Christmas songs are heard on the radio, in the mall, and on the streets. Theme parks adopt a side theme that attracts many visitors, overall, the winter spirit is joyful, and in the United States, the season of celebration starts on Thanksgiving. A holiday where families from all over the country get together, share an amazing dinner, and be thankful for that opportunity, making it the most popular seasonal tradition in the country.
The United States is full of seasonal traditions, and in a country with such size and diversity, even each state has their own traditions, some of them quite unusual. Southern California has a Surfing Santas competition, Connecticut has a lantern light tour in Mystic Seaport, and Cleveland visitors remember one of the most iconic Christmas films, A Christmas Story with a tour and even an opportunity to stay overnight at the original house.
Each individual family also has local traditions, a special dinner, a special game or a unique dance, that’s one of the reasons the winter season has that special magic that is unique… traditions and celebrations.
Winter Break
Another popular reason people love the winter season is the winter break, a time around Christmas and New Year where kids and some adults have a school and work break. Even though every town has a special uniqueness during the winter celebrations, many people use the winter break as an opportunity to travel.
Winter Travels
For many people, the winter season means a well-deserved vacation in paradise, and in the majority of times, that vacation means an escape to the warmest destinations possible without losing the Christmas charm. One of the best travel options for a relaxed, Christmas spirited, and warm winter is the Mexican coast.
Winter Season in Mexico
Mexico is well known for its beautiful beaches with excellent year-round weather, not to mention its unique traditions, including its amazing Christmas traditions. Traveling to Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, or Cancun during your Christmas break is your best choice, the warm sun, blue skies, and the tropical weather will make you not miss the dry cold weather and shoveling the snow. Resorts like Villa del Palmar Cancun, Hotel Mousai, and Garza Blanca will give you the rest and luxury you deserve, without losing the magic of the Christmas spirit.
Christmas Traditions in Mexico
While in Mexico, you will notice that many Christmas traditions are similar or even the same as American winter season traditions, but you will also notice many unique Mexican traditions filled with history, parties, and a lot of fun!
Mexicans call the time between December 12th to January 6th the Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon, it’s the period during the holidays where there’s not a single day off of celebrations.
Day of Our Lady Of Guadalupe
This day that starts the Guadalupe-Reyes marathon. This is a religious national holiday celebrated by the Catholic community, commemorating the appearances of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the Cerro del Tepeyac in Mexico City on 1531. People from all over the country travel to the Basilica de Guadalupe to participate in a special mass and to sing the Mañanitas to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Posadas
Posadas run from December 16th to the 24th. They are nightly celebrations representing Mary and Joseph’s travels looking for a place to stay. Mexican families represent the events with traditional songs asking for the people inside to let them in. Then, the celebration of a posada continues with a party full of music and traditional Mexican seasonal food like atole, punch, and even pozole, and of course we can’t forget the traditional piñatas.
Nativity Scenes
Mexican families set an elaborate Nativity Scene filled with figures and scenery, usually under the Christmas tree. Many businesses and houses are vying to have the best one and the biggest one. The only figure missing from the Nativity Scene is Baby Jesus, that figure is set on Christmas Eve.
Pastorelas
The Pastorelas are plays representing Mary and Joseph’s search for a place to stay for Jesus’ birth, they usually take place on town squares and on schools with the representations delivered by the students with their parents and family as the audience.
Fireworks
Listening to fireworks almost every day and night during the Guadalupe-Reyes marathon is not uncommon, they are widely popular especially on the Day of our Lady of Guadalupe, during the Posadas, on the winter solstice, on Christmas Eve, and of course on New Year’s Eve… so pretty much every day.
Three Wise Men’s Day
On January 6th, Mexico celebrates Día De Reyes or Three Kings’ Day, it’s a day where in the morning kids from all around the country receive gifts from the Three Wise Men, in commemoration of the Nativity. Later that day, families gather to drink hot chocolate and eat some Rosca de Reyes, a sweet bread with a small hidden Baby Jesus plastic figure, whoever gets the surprise figure in their slice of Rosca bread has to invite everyone else on February 2nd, Día de la Candelaria, to a tamales party.
Your Stay in Mexico During the Holidays
Now that you are an expert on winter seasonal Mexican traditions, it’s time to book your trip to Villa Del Palmar Cancun Luxury Beach Resort & Spa for this winter break and experience a magical beach Christmas.
Thanksgiving
If you’re traveling during Thanksgiving, you don’t have to worry about missing an amazing dinner with the people you love, Villa Del Palmar Cancun has got you covered. On November 25th, the resort will host a delicious Thanksgiving dinner buffet at the Caprichos restaurant from 5:00 pm to 10:30 pm at a reasonable price for adults and kids at half price, you will have a turkey feast just like home.
Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
The resort won’t let your Christmas spirit go away, with amazing Christmas decorations, including the traditional Nochebuena flowers or poinsettias, and a beautiful Christmas tree for you to take pictures with and yes… there will be an unforgettable tree lighting ceremony with a magic show, candyland, and the traditional eggnog.
Christmas Eve and Christmas
On the 24th, the Christmas Eve dinner at Caprichos will be unforgettable and you will be guaranteed to have an amazing time with a live Christmas show, and on the 25th, a delicious American-style Christmas dinner, but Christmas is not Christmas without Santa’s magic and Villa Del Palmar Cancun will have an exclusive visit from Santa Claus, that way, your family can be assured that even though you might be far from home, Santa Claus is not going to let that be a problem, in fact, it will be just as magical, how often are you able to open presents on the beach? You’ll love that experience.
New Year’s Eve
The seasonal celebrations are not over on Christmas, of course, let’s close the year 2021 in style at the unforgettable New Year’s Eve beach party. What a way to start off 2022! A beachside party with amazing food, excellent drinks, and lots of music, and on January 1st, Caprichos will host a mimosas brunch.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve, Villa Del Palmar is ready to welcome you and your family for the holidays, now, you should extend your trip a few more days so you get to experience Día de Reyes and with that complete the entire Guadalupe-Reyes marathon!
Happy Holidays everyone!
