JANUARY

1: New Years Day

6: Día de los Santos Reyes - Three King's Day. The Mexicans celebrate Christmas well into January. On the sixth of that month, the Epiphany or the day of the Three Wise Men (El dia de los Reyes Magos) is celebrated with colorful parades and figures dressed as camels and kings, throwing out candy and small gifts to the children. This is also when Mexicans traditionally exchange their Christmas presents.

17: San Antonio de Abad Celebration Day. For this religious celebration, people are allowed to take their farm animals to church, so that they can be blessed.

FEBRUARY

2: La Candelaria – Candlemas. Religious holiday

5: Día de la Constitución – Constitution Day

24: Dia de la Bandera – Flag Day

Carnaval – the date of this holiday varies as it depends on when Lent is. Carnaval always begins the weekend before Lent and is a lively and colorful celebration where people enjoy music and good food, the sort of things they will be giving up during Lent.

28: Death of Cuauhtemoc - the last emperor of the Aztecs

MARCH

17: Día de San Patricio - St. Patrick's Day

18: Día de la Expropriación Petrolera - Nationalization of the Petroleum Industry

21: Natalicio de Benito Juarez - Birth of Benito Juarez, who was a famous Mexican president and a national hero.

APRIL

30: Día del Niño - Children's Day

Semana Santa - "Holy Week" is the week beginning on Palm Sunday through to Easter Sunday and signals the ending of the 40 days of Lent. In Mexico this is the second most important religious festival, after Christmas.

MAY

1: Día del Trabajo - Labor Day

5: Cinco de Mayo - Battle of Puebla. Mexicans commemorate their victory in 1862 over the French army at Puebla de los Angeles.

10: Día de la Madre - Mother's Day. this is a holiday that is celebrated in many countries throughout the world, but given the importance attributed to the matriarchal figure in Mexican culture, this day especially meaningful here.

JUNE

1: Día de la Armada - Navy Day. Celebrated mostly in Mexico’s coastal cities, decorated ships are paraded and regattas are also held.

JULY

18: Death of Benito Juarez

SEPTEMBER

1: Annual State of the Union Address – Approximate date when the Mexican President addresses the nation every year.

8: Día de Nuestra Señora – a regional holiday celebrated by the Baja area of Mexico, in commemoration of Baja’s first Catholic mission.

15: El Grito de Dolores - Cry of Independence

16: Día de la Independencia - Mexican Independence Day. This day commemorates the country’s long, hard struggle for independence from Spain. Miguel Hidalgo announced the Mexican revolt against Spanish rule.

OCTOBER

12: Día de la Raza - Columbus Day. That day, Colombus arrived in the Americas. A day that led to subsequent Spaniards settling on the American continent and taking part in shaping the country’s culture and its people.