In Mexico, the Christmas season does not end after New Year’s Day, as it does in so many other countries around the world. Instead, the holiday continues through Epiphany, or El Dias de los Reyes (The Day of the Kings) on January 6; at that time, children receive their Christmas gifts (Famiglietti.) This paper will discuss Mexico’s traditional New Year’s customs, including many of the activities that symbolize the transformation from the past to the present and future.
A country that is extremely rich with culture, Mexico has a number of traditions that are celebrated for the New Year. There are several colors that are linked to the New Year traditions of Mexico, each one referring to some important thoughts. For example, red New Year decorations represent courage, love, and hopes for a better lifestyle (New Year in Mexico– Traditions and Customs.) On the other hand, yellow represents pleasure as well as blessings, green signifies financial prosperity and white represents a healthy future. Homes in Mexico are decorated with these four colors during the holiday season.
Mexican families plan for New Year’s parties on December 31, and an important part of the celebration are the decorations. In addition to the homes using the four colors to design their fiestas, pan dulce, a sweet bread, is served just at the stroke of midnight. Inside the sweet bread, the baker has placed a lucky coin or pendant, and the person who discovers this treasure is regarded as the luckiest individual in the coming year.
A significant aspect of traditional Mexican New Year parties are various games that are played simply for the entertainment of the guests, adults and children alike. The games are links to the national traditions: in one game, for example, the people are asked to write out on paper the good and the bad things that have happened during the past year. These lists must be made prior to midnight, and at 12 o’clock the lists are thrown into the fire, turning to ashes. This custom represents getting rid of all of the negative energy and events that have been part of the year that has just ended, and signifies embracing a new beginning (New Year in Mexico–Traditions and Customs.)
Prior to New Year’s Eve, Mexicans must clean and wash their bodies, houses, and all of their possessions. This may include their pets and their cars as well. One of the most popular customs of the Mexican New Year is when each family member has to eat one grape for each click of the clock before the 12 seconds leading up to midnight (New Year in Mexico–Traditions and Customs.) Each grape represents good fortune for one month in the New Year. In some cities in Mexico, there are large street festivals on New Year’s Eve and in other parts of the nation, festivals, consisting of fire and food occur on New Year’s morning; fireworks and bells can be heard throughout many of the cities.
There is also a Mexican New Year tradition that involves underwear: it is believed that the color of a woman’s underwear determines the woman’s destiny for the coming 12 months. This tradition dictates that the women of Mexico choose the color of their underwear accordingly. If a girl wants to find love, for example, she will be dressed in red underwear while if she is hoping for financial fortune she will wear green. In addition, the way that the floral decorations appear play a significant part in determining the fate of the men of Mexico. During this entire period of festive time, the majority of Mexicans have a late dinner with their families on New Year’s Eve, but afterwards are likely to go to various parties in town squares, other people’s homes, and on the streets.
In Mexico, if people are thinking of traveling during the New Year, many of them will typically remove their luggage and put it outside of their homes before going for a walk at midnight. There are certain traditional foods that are prepared for the New Year celebration, including dried and salted codfish known as “Bacalao;” in addition, toasts are made using sparkling cider and “ponche”, a hot fruit punch (New Year in Mexico–Traditions and Customs.)
In ancient times, the Mayans and the Aztecs of Mexico engaged in extremely solemn rituals and sacrifices to express gratitude to the gods for the New Year. A fundamental part in all of these ceremonies involved fire, which represented a purifying element (Garcia.) Two of these ancient elements, fire and the observation of the natural environment, have survived and become staples of New Year celebrations in Mexico, even in modern times. On January 1, the “dazzling lights” are ignited in various parts of the country, and fires are also lit in many of the indigenous neighborhoods. Other rituals involve community healers and blood offerings of chickens, tamales, bread, and flowers to honor the ancient gods (Garcia.)
In some regions, young people dress up as the elders, and “burn” the old year before attending a celebration at a carnival held in small communities. In other settings, the elder citizens launch rockets to light up the sky and painstakingly observe their flight and where they are located at the exact moment of midnight. In this way, they are able to predict whether or not the year will be characterized by rain or drought. The cabañuelas are extremely significant in rural Mexico, a term which refers to the detailed observation of the climate during the initial 12 days of the year (Garcia.) This is the way that climate will be predicted, a method that was used by many of the other ancient cultures, such as those in Babylon and Israel. Finally, one of the most charming customs of the New Year in Mexico is “el recalentado,” the “re-heated”, which represents the celebratory and generous nature of the Mexican people, as well as the delicious and plentiful national attention to food. This tradition simply consists of sharing the food that was left over from the night before with either the same or different guests, often resulting in a meal that is considered to be even more delicious than the original late-night dinner.
