January
Jan. 1 - New Year - official holiday
Jan. 6 - Dia de los Santos Reyes - 3 King´s Day
Jan. after the 6th - School vacation ends
Jan. 17 - San Antonio Abad - everything gets blessed, dogs, cars, houses, etc.
February
Feb. first week - School vacation begin
Feb. 2 - Celebration of the Virgen of Candelaria (best in Tlacotalpan)
Feb. - first Monday - Dia de la Constitución - official holiday (instead of 5th)
Feb. 14 - Dia de la Amistad - Valentine´s Day
Feb. - middle - School vacation ends
Feb. 24 - Dia de la Bandera - Mexican Flag day, unofficial holiday
Feb./ March - Carnival in Veracruz City (moveable feast days, changes yearly)
March
Mar. - First Thursday/Friday - Annual Brujo Convention in Catemaco
Mar. - third Monday - Benito Juarez birthday - official holiday, (instead of 21st)
April
March/April - School vacation begins
March/April - Easter week - don´t expect any official response, anywhere
March/AprilMaudy Thursday & Good Friday - unofficial holidays, banks and
government closed
Apr. middle - School vacation ends
Apr. 30 - Children's Day
May
May 1 - Labor day - official holiday
May 3 - Dia de la Santa Cruz - crosses get hung on new construction & masons
celebrate
May 5 - Cinco de Mayo, celebrates Mexico´s victory over the French in Puebla,
unofficial holiday
May 10 - Dia de la Madre - Mother´s day, unofficial holiday
May - middle - Verafest, San Andrés Tuxtla
May - middle - school holidays 10 days
June
June 1 - Navy day, Catemaco boat people hold a party, unofficial holiday
June - beginning - rainy season begins, expect heavy rains till end of October
July
July - beginning - School vacation begins - popular hotels sell out
July 16 - Virgen de la Carmen celebration, week long county fair in Catemaco
July 25 - Día de Santiago Apóstol, Santiago Tuxtla's patron saint is celebrated
with a fair
August
Aug. 15 - Dia de Asuncion - Beach town Montepio celebrates annual fiesta
Aug. 18 - Festival Afrocaribeño - Santiago Tuxtla - maybe
Aug. - middle - school holiday ends - touristic places become ghost towns
September
Sep. 1 - State of the Union speech by Mexican president - unofficial holiday
Sep. 2 - 2007 - Veracruz election day (next one in 2010)
Sep. 16 - Mexican Independence Day - official holiday
Sep. 16 - Aerostatic Balloons released in San Andres Tuxtla
October
Oct. 12 - Dia de la Raza - Mexico´s answer to Columbus day - unofficial holiday,
banks closed
Oct. 18 - Battle of Apoapan Commemoration - Defeat of the French near
Acayucan in 1863
Oct. 12-29 - (2006) Festival Olmeca, Southern Veracruz, San Andres Tuxtla
November
Nov. 1 - Todos Los Santos - unofficial holiday
Nov. 2 - Dia de los Muertos - unofficial holiday, banks closed
Nov. 12 - Dia de Cartero - Mailman day - tip well! - otherwise you will not read
your snail mail.
Nov. 17 - Festival Agustín Lara, Tlacotalpan, Xalapa, Veracruz
Nov. third Monday - Mexican Revolution Day - official holiday, (instead of 20th)
Nov. 30 - San Andres Tuxtla celebrates its patron Saint Andrew
December
Dec. 1 - 2012 Inauguration of Mexican President - official holiday every 6 years
Dec. 8 - La Purísima Concepción - procession at dawn, followed by tamales
and atoles
Dec. 11 - La Guadalupana - everyone sings Las Mañanitas after midnight
after Dec 11 it becomes almost impossible to transact official business in Mexico
until school vacations end second week in January.
Dec. 12 - Virgin of Guadalupe Celebration - unofficial holiday, banks closed
Dec. 16-27 - Posadas - candlelight processions celebrating Joseph & Mary run
around in Bethlehem
Dec. - third week - School vacation begins
Dec. 22 - Día del Agente de Tránsito - give a gift to your favorite traffic police
person
Dec. 25 - Christmas - official holiday
Dec. 31 - Exhibición de viejos - Dolls of old men are stuffed with firecrackers and
exploded.

Calendar for the Catemaco area