Religion of Mexico- Roman Catholicism is the main religion in Mexico; 88 percent of the population five years of age and older identified themselves as Roman Catholic in the 2000 census. Protestants and Evangelicals were the second largest religious group, accounting for approximately 5 percent of the population. The rapid growth in Protestant and Evangelical membership slowed during the 1990s, averaging a 3.7 percent annual rise from 1990 to 2000 (versus 10 percent during the 1970s and 5 percent during the 1980s). |
Festivals - Festivals have always been a very big part in the life of the Mexican people. Most of the people in Mexico are staunch Catholics so the Christian festivals like the Epiphany, Semana Santa, etc. are celebrated with traditional values and ideals. Mexico City celebrates many such festivals with pomp and flair, along with many other festivals with political significance like the Benito Juarez' Birthday, Dia de la Revolucion, Carnaval, Dia de la Independencia etc.. Read further and unravel the colourful festive celebrations in Mexico City. The day of dead also called as Día de los Muertos is a public holiday in Mexico City and the celebration starts from 31st October to 2nd November. |
Cinco de Mayo- Cinco de Mayo is a celebration held on May 5 The date is observed to commemorate the Mexican Army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza. In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is sometimes mistaken to be Mexico's Independence Day—the most important national holiday in Mexico—which is celebrated on September 16, commemorating the Cry of Doloresthat initiated the war of Mexican independence from Spain. |
The Christmas Season- In Mexico, Christmas is celebrated from the December 12th to January 6th. From December 16th to Christmas Eve, children often perform the 'Posada' processions or Posadas. Posada is Spanish for Inn or Lodging. There are nine Posadas. Christmas in Mexico is celebrated during a season that begins in early December to January 6, with one other related event on February 2. During this entire time, one can see nativity scenes, poinsettias and Christmas trees. The season begins with celebrations related to the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patroness of Mexico, followed by traditions such as Las Posadas and pastorelas. |
Music- Ranchera is a genre of the traditional Mexican music originally sung by only one performer with a guitar. It dates to the years of the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century. It later became closely associated with the mariachi groups which evolved in Jalisco. The music of Mexico is very diverse and features a wide range of musical genres and performance styles. It has been influenced by a variety of cultures, most notably indigenous peoples of Mexico and European. |
Sports- The most-popular sports in Mexico are soccer, also known as association football, and boxing. The national sport of Mexico is charreria Other popular sports in the country are baseball, basketball, bullfighting, softball, surfing, motocross, diving and professional wrestling, known as lucha. Soccer is the most-important sport in Mexico. It paralyzes the country when the most-popular local teams or the Mexican national team play. It has been played in Mexico since the 1900s. The most popular sports in Mexico is association football, followed by boxing. Charreria is Mexico's national sport, baseball the most popular sport in the northwest and southeast regions, basketball and bullfighting are also highly popular and appreciated. |
American Football- American football (gridiron) has been played in Mexico since the early 1920s, and is a strong minority sport at Mexican colleges and universities, mainly in Monterrey. American football is the fourth most popular team sport in Mexico. The maximum competition is the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA). The Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional was founded in 2016 with initial 4 teams (Raptors, Eagles, Condors and Mayas), all based in Mexico City. There are plans to expand the league and increase the number of teams and the number of participating states. On February 21 it was held the first game and the championship game was held on April 10, leaving the Mayas as champions and the Raptors as runners-up. |
Arts- Mexican art consists of various visual arts that developed over the geographical area now known as Mexico.He taught major artists to follow him, including those who came to dominate Mexican mural painting. The muralist movement reached its height in the 1930s with four main protagonists: Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, José Clemente Orozco, and Fernando Leal. It is the most studied part of Mexico's art history. The strength of this artistic movement was such that it affected newly invented technologies, such as still photography and cinema, and strongly promoted popular arts and crafts as part of Mexico’s identity. |
Clothing- The Huipil, a tunic-like dress, and other types of enredos were very typical pre-Columbian garb. Originally, more often than not, these dresses were made mostly from cotton however following the Spanish colonization of Mexico, silks and wools started to become more popular as clothing material. Although Mexican clothes nowadays do not differ much from what we wear here in Europe and North America, their traditional dress is quite different. Traditional Mexican clothes were designed to keep people cool in the hot climate that can be found in the deserts to the north to the jungles in the south. |
Language- Some of the most widely spoken languages in Mexico, aside from Spanish, and Nahuatl, which has almost 1.4 million speakers, Yucatec Maya, spoken by over three quarters of a million people, and Mixtec, whose speakers amount to about half a million. There a great number of languages in Mexico, and while Spanish is Mexico’s most widely spoken language, the government also recognizes 68 Mexican indigenous languages as official national languages.
Beliefs- Religious Beliefs. Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion in Mexico. After the conquest by the Spanish, Mexico's indigenous peoples readily accepted Catholic beliefs and practices, but they did so on the basis of their pre-Hispanic religious beliefs. True believers are horrified by the bloody cults practiced by the Indians, the Spaniards tried to extirpate from the hearts the profound beliefs but vainly. About 85 % of its population professes Catholicism (10% of protestants). It is second in the world considering the number of faithful but the number tends to decrease because of the coming out of the sects. In spite of the professions of faith reaffirmed by its leaders and of the strict separation between Church and State, Mexico is profoundly catholic. |
Weird beliefs- 1. The first rule about eating tortillas is… You must not grab the top tortilla!
2. Redheads are used as good luck tokens. The custom is to pinch the arm of whoever’s next to you every time you see a redhead. It’s kind of a competition and it’s always good to have an excuse to pinch your neighbor.
3. We never sing “Happy Birthday” to anyone. Before coming to Mexico, please learn a couple verses from Las Mañanitas, just in case.
4. Police in Mexico are always in alert mode. If you’re being followed by a police car with the lights on, don’t panic, you’re not in the middle of a police pursuit. That’s just the way with police cars in Mexico… always ready for action.
5. Don’t let anyone sweep your feet or you’ll forever be single. If you’re single you will never get married. If you are married, well, your marriage is about to be destroyed.
6. Don’t place your bag on the floor or you’ll run out of money. Even in the most uncommon settings, be sure to have your handbag hook.
Cuisine- Mexican street food is one of the most varied parts of the cuisine. It can include tacos, quesadillas, pambazos, tamales, huaraches, alambres, al pastor, and food not suitable to cook at home, including barbacoa, carnitas, and since many homes in Mexico do not have or make use of ovens, roasted chicken. Mexican cuisine is primarily a fusion of indigenous Mesoamerican cooking with European, especially Spanish, elements added after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire in the 16th century. While the Spanish initially tried to impose their own diet on the country, this was not possible and eventually the foods and cooking techniques began to be mixed, especially in colonial era convents. |
Etiquette- Table Manners- Dining etiquette for beginning to eat. Do not begin eating until the host says, "Buen provecho!". Dining etiquette for utensils. Mexicans do not switch knives and forks. The knife remains in the right hand, and the fork remains in the left. When the meal is finished, the knife and fork are laid parallel to each other across the right side of the plate. Don't Get Huffy- Mexicans are genuinely interested in foreigners. If they stare, it's friendly curiosity. They like to practice their English and will ask about family, friends, money, and other intimate matters. If you are over 30 and have no children, they may express deep concern. Don't take it personally. Arriving in style The stereotype about Mexico's flexible concept of "on time" is mostly true. Arriving 30 minutes to two hours late to a party in someone's home is acceptable — in fact, coming at the specified hour would be rude, for your hosts almost certainly will not be ready. But be on time for public performances, baptisms, weddings and funerals. It is a significant honor to be invited for dinner at someone's home, as Mexicans go out for most of their socializing. Dinner invitations are less flexible; arrive within a half hour of the specified time, and bring a small gift. |