Zócalo: Jaguar Speak

SEPTEMBER

September 8 - Virgen de la Consolación - religious activities, calenda, food fair with regional food, carnival rides and fireworks at the Consolación church.

September 15 - Grito of Independence of México - La Noche Mexicana is celebrated nationwide with parties, dancing, fireworks. At 11:00 PM the ceremony of the Grito commemorates the call for independence from Spain given on September 15, 1810 by Miguel Hidalgo. In Oaxaca and in every city and village the zocalo or main square is filled with people who will shout the ¡Viva Mexico! and enjoy the fireworks, dances and other festivities.
September 16 - Independence Day - National holiday celebrating Mexico’s Independence from Spain. Parades and cultural, political activities.

September 24 - Virgen de la Merced - Rosary at dawn,convite, religious activities, calenda, food fair/community meal, carnival rides, popular dance, music, fireworks at the church of La Merced.

OCTOBER

October 4 - St. Francis of Assisi church celebrates the saint’s day with mañanitas, rosary at dawn, religious activities, calenda and food fair.

October 7 or nearest weekend - La Virgen del Rosario is feted at a number of churches with mañanitas, rosary at dawn, religious and cultural activities, calenda, food fair, carnival rides and fireworks. Some churches are: Trinidad de las Huertas, El Rosario and the church in Ixcotel. Activities at Santo Domingo are only religious.

Second Monday of October - Celebration of the 2000+ year old Tule tree in Santa María del Tule, with all kinds of activities. It is a custom to eat in el Tule that day if at all possible.

October 18 - In the area of San Lucas in Cuilapam the saint’s day is marked by celebrations which include a great parade of flower bedecked oxcarts whose drivers offer fresh fruit to the spectators.

October 31 - Beginning of the Days of the Dead celebrations, one of the most important in Oaxaca which take place from October 31 to November 2, with certain days assigned throughout November for the cleaning and decoration of family tombs. There is a special market to provide flowers, sugar cane stalks, pan de muerto, chocolate, peanuts, fruits, sweets and all the necessities for the altars. Every family and many museums, churches, businesses and offices prepare an altar to honor their dead and await the visit of the spirits of the departed.

On this night, beginning at 7:00 PM, those who have family or friends in the cemetery at Xoxocotlan begin arriving with flowers and candles and most stay until 6:00 AM. On November 2 at 12:00 noon, the priest blesses every tomb in the cemetery.

NOVEMBER

November 1 - This is the day to visit the Pantheon San Miguel, the general cemetery
of the city and the Municipal Tourism office organizes various activities, among them:
     - a musical performance at the cemetery all day
     - the lighting of 2400 candles set in the niches in the main arch
     - decoration of a tomb dedicated to the dead who have no family
     - a contest of altars, with a prize for the winner
     - there are some tapetes de levantada de cruz (sand paintings)
Other cemetery visits are as follows: November 2 -San Miguel, San Felipe, Ixcotel
First Monday - el Marquesado ……………………Second Monday - San Martin
Third Monday - San Juan Chaputepec……………Fourth Monday - Xochimilco

This is avery important season in Oaxaca with many special observances and associated cultural events.

November 20 - The anniversary of the 1910 revolution, this is a national holiday celebrated with parades and many civic observances.

November 22 - Feast of St. Cecilia, patroness of musicians, is observed by local musicians who organize special masses at el Marquesado and San Felipe, followed by a big musical party.

DECEMBER

December 8 - In the village of Santa Catalina Juquila, aprox. 1 kilometers from the city, is the statue of the Virgen Morena de Juquila to which are attributed many miracles. Every year hundreds of thousands make a pilgrimage to Juquila, some on foot, on bicycle and by car or truck. There are many legends about this small statue which, when taken to a neighboring village, mysteriously reappeared in its original home. When a flash fire destroyed most of the village, including the house where the statue was kept, the statue was found unharmed, simply with its skin darkened.

Here in the city, this feast is celebrated in San Juan Chapultepec with mañanitas, rosary at dawn, religious and cultural activities, convite, calenda, food fair, carnival palo ensebado, music, dance, fireworks. A special calenda goes from the church of San Juan to the Basilica of la Soledad.

December 12 - Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, patron saint of all Mexico, is celebrated nationally. Here on the day before the small children are dressed to represent Juan Diego to whom the Virgin miraculously appeared in the 16th century and a simple “indian” woman of the time, and taken to the Guadalupe church to be blessed. All of the area around the Llano Park in front of the church is filled with carnival rides and special attractions for the children.

There are many other activities, including mañanitas, rosary at dawn, convite, religious activities, calenda, carnival, food, music and fireworks. Many of the unions of bus and taxi drivers participate in the special religious activities.

December 16 - 24 - The traditional Posada commemorates the search by Mary and Joseph for shelter in Bethlehem. On each of the nine nights preceding Christmas the holy couple and other “pílgrims” request shelter and are refused at various houses before being admitted by the chosen host for that night. The request, refusal and admittance are all sung in verse and a great party is held at the chosen house with special foods, collations, fruit, candy, piñatas and music.

December 18 - La Virgen de la Soledad is the patron of Oaxaca and the entire city and state honor her on this day with mañanitas, rosary at dawn, convite, calenda, religious activities, carnival, regional dances, food fair, street fair, music, fireworks. The day begins at 4:00 AM music and firewroks; at 6:00 AM is the Promenade to the markets 20 de Noviembre, Benito Juárez and IV Centenario nd to the zócalo. Activities continue throughout the day, including visits to the padrino’s house and a return to the church at 1:00 or 2:00 AM

December 23 - Night of the Radishes, a uniquely Oaxacan celebration which has its roots in the special market held the day before Christmas Eve when growers began to exhibit radishes which had grown to enormous lengths and with fantastic shapes. In time, they started to carve and fashion more sophisticated figures and to make tableaus representative of the season, especially nacimientos or nativity scenes. Apparently 1897 was the first year that the Municipality of Oaxaca organized the event as a contest and offered a prize to the best nacimiento made of radishes. Over the years the event has grown and two additional categories are now included - totomoxtle (corn husks) and flor inmortal (everlasting flowers). Also, other types of scenes representative of Oaxaca are permitted in addition to nacimientos.

December 24 - La Noche Buena or Christmas Eve All the churches offer special calendas with floats, lights and music which pass through the city, the zócalo and back to the churches. The last of the Posadas is held and all the anticipation and celebration culminates in the Misa de Gallo (Midnight Mass ) at midnight. From then on, most celebrations are family oriented and take place in the home.