CHRISTMAS IN MEXICO
The Christmas season in Mexico runs from December 12
to January 6, with one last related celebration on February 2. These various
traditions incorporate remnants of indigenous practice, customs from Spain,
novel Mexican inventions from the colonial period and later Germanic and U.S.
elements.
Market activity
begins to grow in late November, with traditional
markets swelling and new tianguis (street) markets appearing with
stalls dedicated to selling gifts and decorations which include traditional
poinsettias and nativity scenes as well as items such as Christmas trees,
ornaments, electric light and even reindeer figures.[1]
Starting in December, many homes, businesses and other
buildings are decorated with poinsettias, which are called “noche buenas” (from
the Spanish phrase that means “good night” referring to Christmas Eve)
Mexico is the origin of the
pointsettia. In the pre Hispanic period, they were called cuetlaxochitl, and a
favorite in the mid winter when they were a symbol of the new life that they
believed that fallen warriors received, returning as hummingbirds and butterflies to drink the nectar.
A modern Mexican legend says that the pointsettia was once a weed that
miraculously turned into a beautiful flower so that a child could present it to
the infant Jesus. The name for
this plant is also used to refer to a dark bock-style beer which
is only available during the Christmas season