Posted by Tom Plattenberger on November 10, 2007, 11:06 am
Message modified by board administrator April 19, 2008, 1:14 pm

Many people plan their vacations soley depending on when they can get away from home obligations and work. Others try to be in attendence for a Charity Fundraiser. Still others ony want to hit or miss Semana Santa and there are always a lot of questions about the way Christmas is celebrated... I always look forward to Terry Coomber's yearly update on Semana Santa. I for one am looking forward to "hitting" it this year. Here's Terry's post for this season's holidays... We've lived here through many Semanas Santa. Semana Santa ("Holy Week") is actually the name for the week leading up to Easter Sunday; the following week is known as Semana Pasqua ("Easter Week"). Together they are generally referred to as "Semana Santa". It's the highest of the Mexican high seasons on the coast, when people who've endured the winter cold of the inland mountain cities and towns (i.e. the vast majority of the population) want to celebrate the arrival of spring by warming up on a tropical beach. One week before Good Friday, on Friday afternoon (14 March this coming year), a steady stream of traffic from Guadalajara and elsewhere begins pouring through our area. The influx continues all weekend and by Sunday every accomodation is jammed and stays that way for two weeks. Most hotels will raise their prices to the highest of the year beginning on Friday the 14th; some will raise their prices the next day. The prices will stay sky-high until the 30th. Because hordes of people can't find accomodation at any price (or even room to pitch another tent on the crowded beach) during this period, there is a growing Semana Santa spillover where people come for the week before or the week after the holidays, so Semana Santa is looking more like a month-long fiesta every year. Some visitors enjoy the incredible vibrancy of this period and may not mind paying the inflated prices, but they should know what to expect before they come. Posted by Terry on November 13, 2007, 8:40 am, in reply to "Re: New Year's Day" Día de los Reyes is the real Christmas Day in México as it is in many eastern European countries. It's the end of the month-long holiday season which begins with the novena (nine-day celebration) of México's patron saint, la Virgen de Guadalupe ("La Señora"), from 4 to 12 December, continues through the Posadas from 16 to 25 December and New Year's Eve, and culminates on 6 January. The novena for La Virgen is marked by lots of fireworks at all hours of the day and night and her feast day, 12 December, is one of México's most important holidays (although not an official one). The Posadas recreate Joseph's and Mary's trip to Bethlehem with groups of pilgrims, many in costume, wandering their neighbourhoods going from door to door asking, in song, for lodging and, in song, being refused until they come to the home scheduled for that night's party. The Posadas end on Christmas Eve when people stay up all night with family and friends awaiting the birth of Christ and celebrating with plenty of food and drink and a huge meal at midnight. By dawn just about everybody has passed out and Christmas Day is very, very quiet here. During las Posadas, look for highly-decorated Nativity scenes with lights and figures of people and animals. You'll see them in front of many houses and people can get quite carried away with their elaboration, much as you'll see people north of the border competing in the complexity and the brilliance of their Christmas lights displays. January 6th is traditionally the day for exchanging presents and, again, for families and friends to be together, but year by year there is more observance of NOTB celebrations on the 25th of December including decorated pine trees, an anomaly on the coast where the coco palm is more emblematic. After 34 days of holiday season México is one big hangover by 7 January. If one were looking to compile a book of traditional and other Mexican cures for being crudo, this would be the time to do it. The most popular are menudo (ugh!) and tequila, but the list of herbal and other concoctions is probably endless. If you're here at the time drink lots of water, eat your fruits and vegetables, and don't believe the Mexicans who tell you that tequila doesn't cause hangovers. (Thank You Terry) ...A note from The Administrator April 19, 2008 This season's biggies have come and gone. Bruce and I were not able to be on The Bay after all. I was looking forward to it. I will leave Terry's information alone until he provides next years synopsis. I am told that the Semana Santa crowd had much less impact on La Peñita than in years past and the crowds in Rincon de Guayabitos were about the same or a bit smaller than usual. Some folk say it had to do with the economy. Tom