• April 11, 2017
• Guadalupe Ranch Horseback Riding Vacations in Mexico

Easter celebrating in Mexico represents a certain combination of the Holy Week and the first week after the Easter Sunday. Within two weeks, various religious events, secular holidays are arranged, and many people go on beach vacation.

The Holy Week in such Catholic country as Mexico is very important. To realize it, you need to go back to 40 days ago before it started on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent before Easter. On this day the Mexicans go to the temples and the priests apply on their foreheads the cross with ashes of palm fronds that had been since the Palm Sunday of last year.

Pre-Easter Lent for Catholics is a reminder of 40 days spent by Christ in the wilderness before the crucifixion.

The Palm Sunday is called here the Sunday of Fronds. The Mexicans bring the palm fronds from the temples to their homes to fasten them above the door – for protection. A year later, they have to return these fronds to the temple where they have to be burned and the ash for the new Ash Wednesday has to be received.

Since the Sunday of Fronds the vacation of Mexican students begins, and it will last for two weeks. The majority of banks and civil institutions take one vacation week, although national holidays are just Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. It’s a rule in the city of Oaxaca to visit the seven churches on Thursday before the Easter.

On Good Friday throughout Mexico the processions – presentation imitating crucifixion – are arranged. Sometimes they are real enough, with real blood, such as in the metropolitan area of Iztapalapa. Here the most famous processions are represented, and more than a million people go there to see it.

On Holy Saturday, which is called the Saturday of Glory, in some towns and villages the burning of Judas figures made of papier-mâché are still arranged – for betraying Christ.

On Easter, the Catholics celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. It is the most important holiday of the year on par with Christmas. Earlier in Mexico there was the tradition to give typical Mexican sweets to all friends, and now more and more Mexicans fall under the influence of Western tradition of the Easter Bunny. They hide large amounts of chocolate eggs wrapped in colorful paper in their homes and gardens and the children happily seek them. Chocolate bunnies are popular too as Easter sweets.

On Easter, the Catholics celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. It is the most important holiday of the year on par with Christmas. Earlier in Mexico there was the tradition to give typical Mexican sweets to all friends, and now more and more Mexicans fall under the influence of Western tradition of the Easter Bunny. They hide large amounts of chocolate eggs wrapped in colorful paper in their homes and gardens and the children happily seek them. Chocolate bunnies are popular too as Easter sweets.