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Celebrating Navidad Down South
by Capt. John E. Rains
Where, when and how to celebrate the holiday season in tropical Mexican waters
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Spending the holidays in Mexico’s tropical comfort is a nice gift the whole family can enjoy sharing. Balmy temperatures, warm weather and the lack of crass commercialism are three good reasons to head south in December and January, and now is the time to start planning your getaway.
But where are the choicest destinations for a holiday getaway? When are special events scheduled that you should plan to see -- or avoid? How can you include some Mexican holiday traditions in your own celebrations?
Decisions, Decisions
Your main goal is to get south to warm waters, even if you have to fly down and charter a boat. This time of year, Pacific cold fronts can chill the northern two thirds of the Sea of Cortez.
Avoid Cabo and Acapulco, which are packed with noisy holiday crowds. Instead, pick one of the medium-to-small ports with a pleasant mix of traditional cultural festivities and tourism. Go where there’s a marina for your own boat or one from which you can charter a boat, near an airport (if you’re expecting guests) and in an area that has a variety of fun activities within a day’s voyage.
My three recommendations of the best places for a boating family to spend Christmas, Hanukkah or the New Year in Pacific Mexico are Barra de Navidad, Huatulco or Puerto Vallarta.
Barra de Navidad translates as “Christmas Bar,” named on December 25, 1540 by Spanish viceroy Antonio Mendoza. Located in the middle of the fabulous Gold Coast cruising grounds, Barra Navidad’s name, beauty and amenities make it my first choice for a winter holiday getaway.
At the south end of Bahía de Navidad, the quaint village of Barra de Navidad straddles a sandy peninsula or barra, and behind it lie two jungle lagoons. The lighted 20-foot-deep entrance channel into Laguna Navidad takes even 150-foot yachts to one of the nicest and prettiest marinas in Mexico -- Marina Puerto Isla de la Navidad, or Marina Navidad for short.
The hotel behind the marina is architecturally stunning (classical Spanish colonial style), and has great restaurants and other services available to marina guests, who can fly in and out of nearby Manzanillo.
Huatulco is the southernmost and warmest yatero destination in Mexico, home of the new Marina Chahue and many boutique hotels. Twelve small bays within 10 miles of the new marina offer quiet anchorages, snorkeling in turquoise waters and plenty of angling opportunities.
Near Huatulco, there’s a small church in the village of La Crucecita, or “The Little Cross,” which has a history dating back to 1587. Mayan Indians even come down from their mountain villages for Huatulco Christmas season festivities.
Puerto Vallarta, the yachting capital of Mexico, is far enough south to be tropical. Its two marina basins are conveniently removed from downtown, where you’ll find the cathedral Our Lady of Guadalupe (named after Mexico’s patron saint) with its famous dome -- a replica of Empress Carlotta’s crown.
A small river runs through downtown Puerto Vallarta, and amid the river is Isla Cuale, the nicest island for shopping that I know of. Boat parades starting at Vallarta Yacht Club in Nuevo Inlet actually include Santa riding a dolphin.
Holiday Calendar
Forget endless rounds of gift buying with chipmunks singing “Jingle Bells” in the background. In Mexico, the focus is on traditional celebrations in the plazas, streets, churches and homes.
December 3-12 * La Fiesta de Luz (The Festival of Light) is a nine-day series of processions and pilgrimages honoring the Virgin of Guadalupe, Mexico’s patron saint. The celebration culminates on December 12, commemorating the Virgin’s first appearance in Mexico on that date in 1533 (she originally was thought to be the ambassador from the Aztecs’ highest sun god).
December 7-15 * Hanukkah. Many Jews fled the Inquisition to Nueva España (New Spain) in Mexico, where they continue to celebrate Hanukkah. Larger mercados in this area have kosher foods.
December 14-February 2 * Nativity scenes or nacimientos are placed on family altars, in offices, hotel lobbies, plazas and churches. Mexico’s nativities show more than Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus and three wise men; folklorists added burros instead of camels, a rooster to announce the birth, Lucifer lurking in a cave and even some fish in a river (taken from a Mexican Christmas carol, “Los Peces en el Rio”).
December 16-24 * Las Posadas are nine nightly processions. Each night, children dressed as Joseph, Mary, shepherds and peregrinos (pilgrims) knock at up to eight neighbors’ doors, singing a ritual song that begs admittance to the posada (inn), only to be turned away. Luminaries mark the route from house to house, and adults dressed as Lucifer chase the pilgrims with canchinflinas (skyrockets) and cohetes (firecrackers). The hosts at the final home sing a welcome song, and the whole procession enters for fruit punch, tamales and piñatas.
December 16-24 * Las Pastorelas are outdoor plays held each night in the town plaza or on the steps of a church. Uniquely Mexican, these humorous plays are mainly ad-libbed, depicting proverbial battles of good and evil, winged Gabriel against horned Lucifer, with constant bawdy asides to the audience.
December 21 * Solsticio de Invierno, or Winter Solstice, is celebrated with fireworks and outdoor goat roasts by villagers with strong Tarascan, Mayan and Huichol Indian traditions.
December 24 * El Noche Buena, the Good Night, otherwise known as Christmas Eve. On this night, Posadas are greeted with ¡Feliz Navidad! Pilgrims sing villancicos, or carols, and are fed special tamales and beer. Dos Equis beer company brews a special, darker, Noche Buena cerveza reserved just for December. The evening’s last posadas carry a baby doll and end at the church for a midnight mass called Misa del Gallo (Rooster’s Mass). Poinsettias or flores de noche buena decorate the church.
December 25 * Navidad or Christmas Day. Everyone generally sleeps in and nibbles on leftovers from El Noche Buena.
December 28 * Dia de los Inocentes or Day of the Innocents. Vaguely related to King Herod’s massacre of innocent babies, this event is similar to April Fool’s Day in the United States. On Day of the Innocents, never loan anything to anyone, because he or she might not return it. Practical jokes and pranks are part of the fun, but if you play a prank on someone, you must give him or her something sweet to apologize.
December 31-January 1 * Año Viejo y Año Nuevo, or Old Year and New Year, are celebrated together. Plazas and side streets are blocked off for huge outdoor parties with bonfires, music, dancing, drinking and eating. Mexican tradition says you must eat 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight to ensure good luck in the New Year.
January 6 * Dia de los Reyes (Day of the Kings) celebrates the three wise men -- Melchior, Gaspar and Baltazar -- delivering their gifts in Bethlehem. Children write letters to these three kings, but Santa is also a part of the festivities. Gifts are exchanged, and orphanages receive donations. Rosca de los Reyes is a crown-shaped bread decorated with fruit jewels, and one or more baby figurines are baked inside; whoever gets a figurine is obliged to host a party on February 2 (Candelmas).
February 2 * Candelmas, 40 days after Navidad, is when the infant Jesus would have been presented at temple. Parties and a purification mass are held, and nativity scenes are taken down.
Blending Traditions
Some marinas in Mexico have organized Posadas among the docks -- a great blend of traditions. Fresh pine boughs are sold in Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo and Huatulco to trim doorways and sidewalks, but beware of them on board as they’re slippery and drip sap.
You’ll also find Santa Claus and reindeer piñatas in Puerto Vallarta’s municipal mercado among the traditional nativity piñatas, which are star-shaped. A good place to hang a piñata on your boat is from a halyard or a dinghy crane.
Throughout Mexico, you can buy artificial Christmas trees and flashing strings of lights. But even now, freshly cut pine trees are trucked from Oregon to Cabo San Lucas -- so they’ll probably show up on the mainland this year. If you don’t take your own tree trimmings, try stringing shells and small fruits.
To sample holiday delicacies sold in the mercados of Barra, Huatulco and Puerto Vallarta, ask for a pruebita -- a little sample. Christmas tamales may be less spicy and contain home-cured olives, and in Huatulco, they’re steamed in banana leaves for a smoky flavor.
My family’s nicest nacimiento set came from Tonalá, which is famous for its pottery. Silver jewelry from Tasco is of decent quality and inexpensive. My wife, Pat, makes colorful holiday appetizers of Mexican farm delicacies: slices of red honey-glazed yams, green honey-glazed cactus leaves and salty white cheese.
Shop the mercado for Mexican gifts that are inexpensive and easy to stow on board or pack in your luggage, such as intricately carved chocolate-stirring sticks, cast tortilla presses, garlic presses and lime squeezers, natural vanilla in plastic bottles and leather belts, purses and other accessories.
Whether you’re taking your own boat down for the holidays, joining friends or chartering a boat there, you don’t need to miss out on a marcha de barcos (boat parade). Because the new cruise ship pier fouled Huatulco Bay, most boats in Marina Chahue will parade from Santa Cruz to Tangolunda and back on December 12 (Virgin of Guadalupe Day).
In Bahía de Banderas, every yacht and panga for miles will be decorated for the big parade out to Quimixto and back, also on December 12. The boat parades in tranquil Laguna Navidad may be held on both December 12 and 25.
If you do venture to Mexico this holiday season, respect the locals’ traditions. If you give a gift on December 24, don’t expect it to be opened until January 6. Gringo yateros are always welcome to join street crowds along the procession routes and into the churches, but follow local customs and rituals.
Before the holidays, villagers of Mayan, Mixtec and Tarascan Indian descent (indios) travel to Puerto Vallarta, Barra Navidad and Huatulco. They’ll be wearing (and selling) their woven and richly embroidered huipiles and rebosos -- popular gift ideas as wall hangings and bedspreads.
Near Puerto Vallarta, the Huichol people come to sell their intricate beadwork and string art. But some native indios still believe their eternal soul can be stolen if you take their photo, so ask permission first.
¡Feliz Navidad, yateros en Mexico!
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This article first appeared in the November 1, 2004 issue of Sea Magazine. All or parts of the information contained in this article might be outdated. |
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