Fiestas, April through August 2024

April 30 The Virgin of Rosario returns to the Little Chapel on the Plaza. After the mass 7:00pm there will be a procession.  She has resided at San Andres Church for the past years until the renovation of the small church has been completed.

The procession will begin at San Andres Church, down parroquia, to Hidalgo, to Obregon and returning on Ocampo to Marcos Castellanos. 

May 1 is Mexican Labor Day, a legal holiday for schools, banks, and employees, but with no parades or public gatherings.

May 3 is Dia de la Santa Cruz, which is also the patron saint day of the construction workers, a large and loud group in Ajijic.  In Ajijic it is a minor fiesta day, meaning that construction sites will be having parties starting around noon featuring cohetes(noisy sky rockets), food, drink, and maybe some music, all of which is paid for by the owners of the project. Altars with decorated crosses will be erected on these sites with large buckets of ice cold beer placed in front of them and offered up, and then, heartily consumed by the workers in the summer heat.  This can happen anywhere where there is an active construction site. There is a friendly competition among the workers around town to see who can make the most noise as these very thirsty and hard-working guys get to blow off a little steam.

In the more traditional neighborhoods of Ajijic - namely 6 Esquinas to the West, and Upper Ajijic - the San Sebastian neighborhood, there will also be lovingly decorated altars constructed in front of many houses towards the late afternoon. The altars and crosses will be festooned with flowers and streamers, and draped materials for the background.  It is most enjoyable to walk around these areas to admire the altars and show respect for the tradition.  The families will be out in the streets, rather like a block party. Please ask permission before taking pictures of the altars - they are very personal to the families who build them.

Part of the custom is to place fruits, foods, and other staple items on the altar in order to share with other neighbors who do the same.  The 6 Esquinas area has a small fiesta with a banda, small procession, and some delicious guayaba ponche, around sunset.

May 5 is English for Cinco de Mayo, otherwise noted as the Battle of Puebla Day - this is not Mexican Independence Day, which comes in September.  Except in the state of Puebla, this is not a celebration in Mexico.

Mother’s Day, which is always May 10.

June 9 Virgin of Zappopan visits ChapalaThere are no major public events in Ajijic during the summer.  However, the two neighboring villages - San Juan, and San Antonio, both have their Patron Saint fiestas, almost back to back in June, in case you are in need of a little excitement, or missed the fabulously fun San Andres Fiesta. 

San Antonio’s fiesta concludes June 14 after the traditional 9 days of morning, noon, and night cohetes, masses, prayers, mananitas, processions with native danzantes, with food, drinks, and dancing to the bandas in the evening.  Local lore has it that the final fireworks on June 13 bring on the rainy season.

A couple days later, the San Juan fiesta starts, and then later concludes on June 25. 

Queen of the Lake fiesta in Chapala on a Sunday in July 14 and 15 starting at 9AM.  This will be her 68th visit to Lake Chapala. This is the largest of several Virgin processions in this area, honoring the visiting Virgin de Zapopan who deserves an entire article in her own right, as she is credited with bringing the lake back from near disaster several times in recent decades.  The lake nearly dried up, the people danced and prayed to her, the skies opened up with torrents of rain, and the Lake Chapala was miraculously brought back to life

After the Mass, at 12pm, La Virgin and her followers proceed around the Chapala Malecon to the end of the pier and back again, when she is then placed in a boat which takes her out with a flotilla of boats to Scorpion Island for a night of devotion.  When she returns the next day, a final Mass for the infirm, is said at the church in Chapala. In the meantime, weather permitting, there will be music, dancing, and a castillo in front of the church Sunday evening.

July 25 Dia de Santo Santiago Ajijic, Leaving the atrium of the Temple of San Andres, walking to seis esquinas, taking Ocampo to reach the tempisque with service at 6pmA couple of the villages across Lake Chapala have their Patron Saint Fiestas in August, including San Luis Soyatlan around the 10-19 of August, although the final date is always on a Sunday.  The traditional fiesta format is followed, including a soccer game between the local team, called Los Tacos Dorados, and the Absent Sons from the United States, who are called Las Hamburguesas.  The village of San Nicolas also joins with San Luis Soyatlan to celebrate.  Sounds like great fun

Tuxcueca’s Patron Saint is San Bartolo, whose day is celebrated August 24, practically coinciding with the nearby San Luis Soyatlan 

Also check the Ajijic News Calendar for more current events. http://ajijicnews.com/pages/eventscalendar

Submitted by Mickey Wendt-updated by Ajijic News