Easter in Mexico

BY CLAUDIA ROMO & ALICIA SPINNER

As a largely Roman Catholic nation, Mexico celebrates Easter, but this holiday looks very different than in the United States.

Holy Week is the time when Catholics celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. During Holy Week, people attend church services, fast, and abstain from meat on certain days. It is a time of reflection, prayer, and celebration. Easter season traditionally begins with Carnival, the festival leading up to Lent, the 40-day religious observance representing the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert, spanning from Ash Wednesday to Easter.

Carnival is a time of rich living and rich eating. The word ‘Carnival’ is derived from ‘carne’ or meat. Many cities in Mexico host Carnivals. Mazatlán is home to the third-largest Carnival celebration in the world after those in Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans. Attracting more than 400,000 people, the event features singing and dancing. Veracruz City hosts the second-largest carnival in Mexico, followed by Merida and Cozumel.

Since many people give up things for Lent, Carnival is all about living it up: dancing, eating, and partying. If you’re lucky enough to be in Mexico during Carnival, you’ll enjoy lively street festivals, incredibly colorful costumes, and welcoming parades.

After the festivities of the Carnival, the first day of Lent starts with Ash Wednesday. This day is reserved for prayer, fasting, and repentance. This is a solemn occasion when believers go to church, and priests draw the sign of the cross in ashes on their foreheads. As a sign of repentance, people leave the ash untouched all-day long.

Like most Mexican holidays, feasting is a big part of Easter celebrations. Since Roman Catholic tradition discourages the eating of red meat during Lent, seafood (especially shrimp) is particularly popular during this time. Many people also eat nopal, a delicious type of cactus that’s popular during this time of year. Seafood and nopal are served in empanadas, tacos, and salads with delicious seasonings added.

Holy Week ends with Easter, when people celebrate the resurrection of Jesus with eggshells filled with confetti, known as 'cascarones' in Spanish. The tradition of cascarones dates to colonial times and is a fun and festive way to celebrate.

Making cascarones is very simple: fresh eggs are taken, a small hole is made in the top to empty the contents of the egg, and it is cleaned and left to dry. Then the shell is decorated with paint and filled with confetti.

Families save eggshells for months to be ready for Easter. Kids love decorating them! The tradition is to break the eggshells on someone's head, releasing the confetti in the process. Cascarones can be found in stores during the Easter season. It is also common for kids to make their own and share or sell them. We love cascarones, they are so much fun!