:: Events In Mexico :: JANUARY 2007 1 JAN: New Year's Day (Año Nuevo)--Nationwide. Mexico rings in the New Year with celebrations featuring music, dance, food and fireworks. Streets are filled with revelers, and friends and families congregate for parties that often last till dawn. One tradition calls for eating twelve grapes, one with each stroke of the chiming bell at midnight, for luck during the next 12 months. 5-22 JAN: 2nd Merida International Art Festival "Merida Cultural City"(2do Festival Internacional de las Artes "Merida Capital Cultural")--Merida, Yucatan. In celebration of the city's founding more than 464 years ago, this festival features music, dance, poetry readings, photography exhibitions as well as films and exhibits of local and international artist. http://www.merida.gob.mx/festival/. 6 JAN: Three Kings' Day (Dia de los Santos Reyes)--Nationwide. The Feast of the Epiphany recalls the arrival in Bethlehem of the three wise men (reyes magos) bearing gifts for baby Jesus. This is the day of traditional gift-giving for children in the central and southern regions of Mexico. Rosca de Reyes, a crown-shaped sweet bread decorated with candied fruits with a small doll baked inside, is served on this day. Whoever is lucky enough to find the figure in his slice of bread must host a party on February 2, Candlemas Day, offering tamales (stuffed cornflour cakes wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves) and atole (a hot, sweet drink thickened with corn flour) to the guests. 14 JAN -8 FEB: Leon State Fair -Leon, Guanajuato. Leon City, located just 45 minutes outside of Guanajuato, hosts this annual fair which features concerts, dance, food and much more. Some of the highlights for this year's fair is Robert´s International Circus, The traditional Palenques, Dolphins exhibition and more. http://www.ferialeon.org/ or info@ferialeon.org 15-23 JAN: St. Sebastian Fiesta (Fiesta de San Sebastian el Martir)--Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas.This fiesta is famous for its "Parachicos" tour, which features a dancing procession from San Jacinto church through Santo Domingo church back and forward, ending in a delectable food festival featuring traditional dishes such as "Pepita con Tasajo" made of beef in a creamy pumpkin seed sauce. On the night of the 21st, a traditional nautical battle takes place on the Grijalva River which concludes in a spectacle of fireworks. 17 JAN: Feast Day of de San Antonio de Abad. Is a religious holiday during which the Catholic Church allows animals to enter the church for blessing. 28 JAN: The Rural Tourism Fair -Oaxaca, Mexico. The sixth such regional event co-created by Amigos del Sol and Planeta.com in Oaxaca City, Mexico. This alternative to traditional mass tourism allows travelers to visit rural areas. Options include hiking and biking, visiting community museums and buying crafts. Mexico considers rural tourism a critical feature in its promotion of travel alternatives, including adventure travel and ecotourism. For more information visit: http://www.planeta.com/ecotravel/mexico/oaxaca/feriarural2006.html. :: FEBRUARY 2007 2 FEB: Candlemas Day (Dia de la Candelaria)--Nationwide. Celebrated with candlelit processions and dancing in many towns throughout the country, this holiday marks the end of the Christmas celebration. On this national holiday, families and friends gather together to enjoy tamales and atole (a hot, sweet drink thickened with corn flour). The musical events, parades and dances are especially memorable in the port city of Tlacotalpan, Veracruz, where a bull is rafted into town and released. 5 FEB: Día de la Constitución. An official holiday that commemorates Mexico's Constitution. 17-19 FEB: 4TH National Motorcycle Reunion (Reunion Nacional de Motociclismo) - Zamora, Michoacán. The event will include bike acrobats, a live rock concert, tours to the most beautiful places in Zamora and surroundings, among others. For more information, visit: www.amoden.com 23-28 FEB: Carnival (Carnaval)--Nationwide. Celebrations begin five days before Ash Wednesday and are marked by parades, parties and dancing in the streets. Some of the most famous and festive celebrations are held in the port towns of Veracruz, Campeche (www.webcampeche.com), Mazatlan (www.carnavalmazatlan.com.mx) and Ensenada, while carnaval in San Juan Chamula, Chiapas is one of the most important indigenous celebrations in Mexico, involving purification ceremonies and ethnic dances that depict Mayan legends. 27 FEB: Seashells and Wine Festival-Ensenada, Baja California. Now in its 6th year, this exquisite festival will take place at the Salon Rojo y Patio Bugambilias, celebrating the fine wine from the region. For more information, contact: fiestasvendimia@hotmail.com. 19-22 FEB: El "Cielo" International Nature Festival (Festival Internacional de la naturaleza "El Cielo")--Ciudad Mante, Tamaulipas. This festival welcomes hundreds of visitors to interact with nature in one Mexico's most famous biosphere reserves. 22 FEB-5 MAR: 3rd International Contemporary Film Festival of Mexico City (Festival Internacional del Cine Contemporaneo de la Ciudad de Mexico)--Mexico City. Hosted by Cinemex, the Mexico City International Contemporary Film Festival is a ten-day showcase featuring 150 international pictures, among them winners at the Venice, Berlin and Cannes film festivals. www.ficco-mex.com/ 27 FEB-4 MAR: Mexican Tennis Open - Acapulco, Guerrero. The Mexican Open is the most important tennis open in Latin America and ranks fifteenth in the world. It is part of the International Gold Series ATP and Tier III of the WTA. Champions from this tournament will go to the US Open in New York. www.abiertomexicanodetenis.com. 21 FRB-1 MAR: Carnaval Veracruz 2006 - Veracruz, Veracruz. Known for its Afro-Caribbean-influenced culture, the port city of Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico hosts the second-largest Carnaval in the country. Visitors should not miss the chance to dance at the zocalo, or main square. Salsa, cumbia, reggae and marimba are popular, as well as danzon. For more information, please visit: www.veracruz-puerto.gob.mx/turismo/. 22 FEB-1 MAR: Carnaval Merida 2006 - Merida, Yucatan. This Carnaval is about fantasy, magic and mystery. Different parades and dances take place along a route that goes from the San Juan Park (parque de San Juan) up to the Flag Monument (Monumento a la Bandera). For more information, please visit: www.merida.gob.mx/carnaval/ 22-28 FEB: Carnaval Cozumel 2006 - Cozumel, Quintana Roo. One of the most popular celebrations in the Mexican Caribbean, Cozumel has commemorated this pre-Lenten celebration for nearly 100 years bringing Carnaval to life in an exciting explosion of color and music. Cozumel's unique celebration includes a variety of costumed characters, such as Harlequins, rumba dancers, Spaniards, gypsy women, fairies, princesses, bullfighters, and kings and queens that can be spotted during the week. For more information, visit www.cometocozumel.com. 22-28 FEB: Ceremony of the Pocho Dance--Tenosique, Tabasco. Dating back to prehispanic times, the traditional "Pocho" dance means it's almost Carnaval time in Tabasco. The Pocho consists of a series of dances and other ancient ceremonies performed by masked dancers, many dressed as jaguars and tigers. The dance symbolizes the purification of man through the battle between good and evil. The Pocho performances begin on January 20 at the main park in Tenosique and on all subsequent Sundays prior to the commencement of Carnival. On the last day, the dancers dance backwards from the main square to the church where the dance began.