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January 1: A holiday but little public celebration. Special Masses.
January 6: Three Kings Day, commemorating the Magi who brought gifts to the infant Jesus. The day for giving Christmas presents to children.
January 17: Blessing of the animals. St. Anthony's Day. The rites take place at various churches, sometimes also at La Parroquia. In the busy morning hours, holy water is brought out in galvanized buckets to keep up with the demand. Besides household pets, the faithful bring fighting cocks, favorite hens, pigs, sheep and lambs. Sometimes horses and cattle add to the confusion.
January 21: Birthday of General Ignacio Allende. Band music, a short parade, a patriotic speech or two.
January 24: Pilgrims depart for San Juan de Los Lagos. Departure ceremonies take place near the RR station. Very colorful, very photogenic.
February 2: La Candelaria (Candlemas) Plants and seeds sold in plazas and streets, the jardin is suddenly transformed into a gigantic garden. This coincides with Aztec New Year's Day, which is also dedicated to fertility. this is the unofficial start of spring.
February 5: Constitution Day February (moveable) Ash Wednesday. The faithful are marked with black crosses made from the ashes of last year's Palm Sunday fronds. Some Mardi Gras celebrations will have been held the previous night, but Mardi Gras is not major in San Miguel.
March: First Friday. Concheros celebrate the feast of our Lord of the Conquest. Dancing in the atrium of the Parroquia.
Easter rites and celebrations (moveable). Two Sundays before Easter the image of Our Lord of the Column is carried through the night from the sanctuary of Atotonilco to the church of San Juan de Dios. This is a dramatic march of thousands of people who walk for several hours, pausing frequently for prayers, songs, and rituals. The marchers are greeted by townsfolk at dawn. Fireworks, bells and rejoicing. Best seen at the old North entrance to town at dawn (follow the crowd) and at San Juan de Dios. Anyone is welcome to join the procession at Atotonilco; marchers should gather there before midnight on Saturday.
Friday before Holy Week is Viernes de Dolores, honoring Our Lady of Sorrows and known in San Miguel as Night of altars in homes. Early in the evening public fountains are decorated and sometimes lighted; later, many homes will be open so that passersby may inspect the household altars. Other altars are placed in windows. Dozens of home altars are on display from about 9:00 until 10:30 PM. Many years attractive altars are found in homes on Calles Barranca, Hospicio, and Cuadrante. But these change and many other streets have appealing displays. follow the crowds, ask where more altars may be seen. This is undoubtedly the most open and welcoming night of the year in many houses.
Holy Week: This, of course, is the high point of the Catholic year and has also become Mexico's national vacation week. Businesses are often closed, regular activity halts; San Miguel sees a gigantic influx of visitors mostly from the capital.
Ceremonies begin with Palm Sunday services, the last celebration before at last a theological colemnity descends on the town. Thursday is Night of Altars in churches. Thousands of people pack the local temples to inspect altars, kiss holy images, make a contribution and be given a nosegay of manzanillo. the churches are redolent of incense and humanity. The "Gold Room" of the Santa Casa of Loreto is open. Some devout folk follow the tradition of visiting nine churches that night.
On Good Friday the bells are silenced. A three hour sermon on the Seven Last Words of Christ is delivered by priests in shifts, starting at noon. In the late afternoon, timed to end with sunset, the year's largest and most impressive procession begins. Holy images are carried from the Oratorio to La Parroquia by a circuitous route. Roman soldiers, trumpets, black veiled women, dark clad men, banners, Solemn and dramatic.
Holy Saturday: "Judas" figures, cardboard dolls holding a measure of gunpowder are exploded. Nowadays the figures are likely to be called "monos" monkeys, and represent almost anything. Easter Sunday, after all the drama that has gone before, seems quiet, an anticlimax. Visitors leave, residents try to reclaim their town.
May 1: Labor Day is an official holiday with a parade of workers and school children. On a deeper level to the people of San Miguel it is the start of a month of special religious significance. It is the "Marian Month" special to the Virgin Mary, a time of celebration every Sunday in a different neighborhood church in San Miguel. Also, it is the month commemorating the discovery of the Holy cross, found in Jerusalem by Saint Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great.
May 3: Holy Cross, Santa Cruz. the day of masons and builders. Alters are erected at all construction sites. Work stops at noon and employers are expected to provide a party. The altars are often charming; the celebrants tipsy. Firecrackers continue exploding far into the night.
May 4: Ascension Day. A religious fiesta once of great importance in Mexico, now less notable.
May 5: Anniversary of the battle of Puebla. "Cinco de Mayo." the Mexicans inflicted a major but temporary defeat on the French invaders at Puebla. They were aided in this victory by Indian forces, and this provides the basis for dances performed during the week. The colorful costumes represent French and native forces; there is drumming, shouting and swordplay.
May 15: Day of San Isidro. Little notice in town, but still important on ranches and in outlying villages. The patron of agriculture, herds and flocks is honored. Cattle are decorated with paper garlands, then blessed. the celebration is associated with bringing rain in the coming season.
June 12: Fiesta at San Antonio church. The "locos" caper and dance in one of Mexico's zaniest celebrations.
June 26: Commemoration of the death of General Ignacio Allende before a firing squad. Official ceremonies.
July 16: Fiestas of our Lady Carmen launches a series of ritual celebrations that will continue until the end of the month.
July (Variable) Colorful fiesta at Atotonilco. Indian dances. Usually but not always held on the 3rd Sunday of July.
September 15 through October. The fiestas Patrias, the extended fiesta season in San Miguel is crowded with events, as many as the organizers can pack into the period. The attractions change from year to year as does some of the scheduling. Lengthy notices are plastered up around town with long lists of expected events.
September 15-16: Independencia. The largest national non-religious holiday, is usually celebrated lavishly in San Miguel. Pageantry, games, fireworks and, as in all Mexico, the 11:00 PM reenactment of Father Hildago's famous "grito of dolores" on September 15. A shortened version of the "grito" is read from the balcony of the Allende House, usually by the Municipal President. Just before that the winner of an annual marathon will appear on the balcony with a torch. this symbolizes the delivering of an essential message from Queretaro to San Miguel in 1810. As a national patriotic shrine, San Miguel de Allende is always crowded with visitors at this time.
September 29: St. Michael's day. Celebrated on the nearest weekend. Events vary from year to year, but always there is the parade of Xochiles, huge decorations made from flowers, plants and corn paste. The ceremonial frames are carried in a parade that rivals the Good Friday procession in size, far exceeds it in color. Conchero dancers add a note of flamboyance. Music and fireworks. Usually the year's best bullfights.
October 8: The fiesta of San Francisco. The town is a bit weary of fiestas by this time, but does its best for the beloved saint.
October 12: "Day of the Race," Columbus Day. A "Living Rosary" of lighted candles makes a colorful sight in the bullring when ceremonies are held in the evening.
November 1: All Saints Day.
November 2: All Souls Day (Day of the Dead)
November 20: Anniversary of the Revolution of 1910. Official, legal holiday. Parades, speeches.
December 12: Fiesta of Mexico's patron saint, the Virgin of Guadalupe. Special decorations at the Guadalupe shrine near the Oratorio, many parties honoring the many Guadalupes of the town.
December 16-24: Posadas.
December 25: Christmas. A holiday, of course, but less concentrated than in many countries. The day itself is somewhat diffused by the celebrations ahead of it.
December 31: Special Religious services. Private, traditional celebrations and suppers.
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