communities as the participants begin their walk to Puerto Vallarta. These processions are a celebration of Joseph and Mary’s search for shelter in Bethlehem and they all convene in El Centro on Christmas Eve at the Our Lady of Guadalupe church. The children have their colorful piñatas and the adult celebrations begin as the entire downtown area bustles with activity and music. Christmas Day is a much more quiet and somber day; a day of recovery!
December 28th is the Day of the Innocents, the equivalent of April Fool’s Day in the United States; a day when everyone plays practical jokes on each other and not an appropriate time to “loan” money or believe anyone!
Of course, December 31st is another joyful occasion in Vallarta. The entire perimeter of Banderas Bay lights up with incredible fireworks displays lasting almost a half an hour and fiestas can be heard all night long throughout the city; you’ll not see a more spectacular New Year’s Eve celebration. Of course, New Year’s Day is another quiet day as everyone again tries to recover!
The final Christmas season fiesta is that of Epiphany on January 6th celebrating the arrival of the Three Wise Men. The children receive gifts and everyone enjoys a pastry called La Rosca De Reyes (bread of the kings). Typically, there is a very small doll buried in the bread roll and the person that gets the piece containing the doll is responsible for hosting the next fiesta on February 2nd, the Day of Candlemas. (You’ve got to give them credit; they have plenty of reasons for planning the next fiesta!)
Now you know why they refer to Christmas Season as a Marathon! By the way, in Mexico, it’s never referred to as “Winter Solstice Holidays”, “Non-Denominational Festivities Season”, or