Events

Candelaria, groundhog day in the United States, is celebrated the 40th day after Christ’s birth, the day Jesus was presented in the temple.  Baby dolls of Jesus, called Santo Ninos, are taken to the church to be blesses and kissed by the priest.   Every family has at …

Beginning at midnight in a procession of thousands of people, this life-sized figure of the beaten and bloody Christ is carried from Atotonilco to San Miguel on the shoulders of the faithful. The statue is very old and molded from traditional Chichimeca materials—corn stalks, corn starch and …

The Tuesday before Holy Week is dedicated to the Divine Prisoner (Divino Preso) focusing on when Jesus was in prison awaiting Crucifixion.  To celebrate the clergy from Sana Escuela (the church next to the Parrochia) would have food prepared especially for the prisoners in San Miguel’s jail. …

The Friday before Good Friday is for Our Lady of Sorrows.  It acknowledges Mary’s seven sorrows stretching from Jesus’ presentation at the temple and culminate in her pain at losing her only child. Altars throughout town contain symbolic elements of mourning such as sour oranges, chamomile, wheat and purple …

For Palm Sunday (El Domingo de Ramos) vendors will be selling beautiful items made of hand woven palm fronds in front of all the main churches today. Some of the best are sold at the Oratorio. For over 20 years at around 10 am at …

During Holy Week are countless processions devoted to depicting Jesus’ death.  One of the oldest, that started in Colonial times, follows the route of the Stations of the Cross built into the buildings of San Miguel.  The stations start from the Santa Escuela (next to …

Wednesday of Holy Week recalls the abandonment of Jesus with early evening services called “los matines de las tinieblas” or Vespers of Darkness. A special mass with a candelabra on the altar holds 15 candles. One candle is extinguished for each Psalm sung until finally, …

Following an ancient San Miguel tradition, people visit seven churches today to view special altars depicting Jesus before his  death and eat various types of bread.  The lines to enter can be very long, so visiting any seven can take some time.  Luckily outside any church are food …

On Good Friday, there are two major Catholic rituals celebrated in two different churches at different hours.  One is the encounter of Jesus with the Virgin Mother on the road to Mount Calvary during the Stations of the Cross that takes place in several streets surrounding the jardin.  …

Holy Saturday in San Miguel is mostly quiet as the city waits for the joy of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, when the events of Holy Week will come to an end.  This quiet day is the feast of Our Lady of Solitude, a patroness …

oday is a celebration of Jesus’ resurrection featuring huge piñatas that explode over the jardin.  The piñatas feature politicians, Judas and celebrities not in good public favor whose dismembered paper body parts are quickly gathered by local children and sold to visitors. It is an emotional release …

The Divine Mercy is a Roman Catholic devotion to the merciful love of God and the desire to let that love and mercy flow through one’s own heart towards those in need of it.  The devotion is based on the apparitions of Jesus received by Saint Faustina. Divine Mercy Sunday is the Sunday after Easter placing emphasis on the …