In the 18th century, Catholic church fathers chastened the denizens of San Miguel de Allende for holding too many celebrations. Fortunately for us, no one seemed to listen and the fiesta goes on. Here are some highlights of the city’s many annual festivities.
November: Souls of deceased children are welcomed back by their families on November 1, Día de Todos los Santos (All Saints’ Day), and on November 2, Día de los Fieles Difuntos (All Souls’ Day), the adult dearly departed are enticed to visit. Altars laden with marigolds, candles, food, and photos of the deceased offer comfort and nourishment, and elaborately adorned plots serve as picnic sites as family and friends gather in the cemeteries to commune with the dead. Also called Día de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead,” this centuries-old tradition celebrates the continuity of life and a uniquely Mexican view of death.
November 20 marks the anniversary of the Mexican Revolution of 1910, which resulted in the removal of the dictator Porfirio Díaz. Befitting a military observance, parades and civic events are the order of the day.
On November 22, the Feast of St. Cecilia, all musicians are invited to gather at midnight outside the Oratorio de San Felipe Neri to serenade the saint, patroness of musicians and the blind.
December: The year winds down, but the parties don’t. On December 12, the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico’s intensely beloved patron, is revered with a mariachi mass, processions, dances, prayers and, of course, fireworks. During the nine days before Christmas, December 16 to 24, the journey of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem is reenacted around the city in a series of processions known as posadas. Christmas Day, December 25, is a relatively calm and private affair; perhaps people are resting up for the New Year’s Eve blowout in the main square on December 31.
January: In Mexico the Three Kings, not Santa, bring children presents on January 6, Día de los Reyes (Three Kings Day). Wise men (and women) shop at the all-night street market the evening before. Partygoers share a ring-shaped cake, Rosca de Reyes, that contains a small plastic doll. The recipient of the lucky slice is obliged to host a party for Candelaria in February.
On January 16, St. Anthony’s Day, farmers bring their most valued livestock into town for the ritual of the Blessing of Animals.
February: Candelaria, celebrated February 2, recalls the presentation of Jesus in the temple and the purification of the Virgin Mary. In San Miguel, the theme is definitely botanical. Following pre-Hispanic tradition, the heads of villages bring seeds to be blessed to ensure a good harvest. Parque Juárez fills with vendors for the annual Candelaria flower and plant fair.
March: The arrival of spring is celebrated with a parade of kindergarten children dressed as animals, insects, flowers and exotic creatures. This colourful and endearing event takes place on Friday, March 20, this year.
April: During Holy Week, Semana Santa, colourful processions and profound, solemn pageantry mark the days leading to Easter. On the last Friday of Lent, Viernes de Dolores, altars redolent with lilies and chamomile and festooned with oranges and purple and white decorations are erected in the city’s fountains and in many homes.
Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) marks the first of several processions with a reenactment of Christ’s arrival in Jerusalem through the centre of town.
On Maundy Thursday (Jueves Santo) the Last Supper, the washing of the disciples’ feet and the arrest of Jesus are reenacted. A majestic and solemn procession on Good Friday, Viernes Santo, is punctuated by dolorous drumbeats and the sound of prayer as black-clad mourners accompany the condemned Christ through the stations of the cross and the procession of the holy burial.
On Holy Saturday (Sábado de Gloria) women in black, their faces obscured by veils, accompany a statue of the Virgin in a candlelight procession.
The resurrection is joyfully celebrated on Easter Sunday (Domingo de Pascua). Life-sized papier-mâché effigies representing Judas are suspended above the street. One by one the rockets attached to them are ignited and they spin madly in a hiss of smoke before exploding into confetti that blankets the cheering crowd.
May: On May 3, the Feast of the Santa Cruz, carpenters and craftsmen who are building homes lay down their hammers and trowels to enjoy a meal supplied by the property owners. Later in the month, one of the oldest colonias (neighbourhoods), Valle del Maíz, hosts a week-long celebration, the Fiesta de la Santa Cruz, with battle reenactments, parades, indigenous dancers and plenty of fireworks. 
