The end of the year is almost here! And with it the celebration of Christmas and New Year’s Eve. As well as all the wishes and changes that the end of a year and the start of a new one can bring. One of those changes can be relocation and moving out of your country of origin. That sounds scary, but it can also be incredible!
A common place for Americans to move to is Mexico. Is this your case? Are you planning to move to Mexico? Congrats! That’s a big deal! We’re sure you’ll love your new life there!
There are many magical things about Mexico, but there are also some differences between Mexico and the USA that can make you feel lost and confused.
Is your move coming at the end of the year? Then one of the main things you must be informed about are the holiday cultural differences between the US and Mexico. So you don’t get too confused when celebrating your first Christmas and New Year’s Eve there.
To help you out, we’ve created this guide with the holiday variations you’ll notice between both countries. It also works if you’re a Mexican moving or relocating to the USA.
Don’t worry, just because there are differences, it doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy the holidays just as much as in your country.
Religion
One of the differences can be religion, which we know is a huge part of Christmas. Even nowadays in which not everyone is religious, many still like to enhance the religious part of these holidays. After all, it’s part of Christmas’ history.
In the USA, you’ll find people from many different religions. But you must know most of them identify as Christians, up to 70%. And even though there are some main religions in the USA, like Judaism and Hinduism with many practitioners, those aren’t the only ones. There are still many more than just those.
Meanwhile, in Mexico you’ll also find many different religions. But you must know that most of the people are Catholic, around 77% of the population! Contrary to most of the people in the USA where, as we said, they’re Christians. We must remember that though they’re similar and they interconnect, Christianity and Catholicism have differences.
Now that you see this you can notice you won’t have a problem celebrating Christmas in Mexico. Because most of the people there are Catholic religious and therefore celebrate it. Even a lot of the people that aren’t religious like celebrating the holidays. Because it’s a tradition and they like the good spirits of it and to reunite with their loved ones.
Posadas
“Posadas” are Mexican parties centered around Christmas that are celebrated throughout the entire holiday season. So throughout the entire month of December. So, yes, they’re a huge tradition in Mexico, but they’re also celebrated in Central America.
They’re hosted in all kinds of places, both professional and personal. Sometimes, companies throw a “posada” in their offices and headquarters for all the employees. Schools do the same for all the kids. And, of course, people also throw posadas in their houses or neighborhoods.
People are always very excited about these kinds of parties, because they’re perfect to reunite with loved ones, maybe even meet new people, and celebrate the Christmas spirit.
People decorate with Christmas ornaments the place where the posada will be held. They also cook or buy traditional food, like tamales and tostadas. An element that can’t be missed in any “posada” is the “ponche de frutas”. Oftentimes, they also have “piñatas” to break them among all the guests.
Of course, they play Christmas carols. And sometimes, more traditional people or kids in the school go singing these carols door to door. This is something we also see in the US, though it’s not that common.
Oh, and people can be invited to many different “posadas”. So, if you have many Latin friends, you can expect to be invited to a lot.
As you can see, Mexicans don’t stick to just the Christmas’ eve celebration dinner or party. They start before that date.
In the US, you might have gone to some Christmas parties, but not necessarily “posadas”. Or maybe you did go to a “posada”, probably organized by a Latin friend. Because the Latin community in the US still likes to celebrate “posadas”, because they’re part of their culture.
Food
Of course food is going to be a huge difference! This is because everyone around the world has their own traditions and gastronomy, which influence what they eat on Christmas.
In the USA, they usually eat turkey, ham, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, and cranberry sauce. As well as eggnog, pecan tassies, gingerbread, and the classic fruitcake, among others.
While in Mexico it’s common to eat pork leg, pork loin, tamales, menudo, cod, romeritos (rosemary with mole), pozole, churros, and buñuelos. As well as ponche de frutas (fruit punch), and one of the most popular, ensalada de manzana (apple salad).
Though you might miss the traditional Christmas dishes that people eat in your country, this is a great opportunity to try new dishes. Who knows?
Some may become part of your favorites. Plus, remember that this is not obligatory, if you really miss a specific food, you can still prepare it for Christmas. Yes, even if you live in a new country now. You could even do a mix of cultures and prepare dishes from both the US and Mexico.
Do you want to know one dish and one drink that are typically consumed during Christmas in both countries? The turkey and cider! So you won’t miss these.
Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon
You probably already know that Christmas Eve is on December 24th and Christmas is on December 25th. And that New Year’s Eve is celebrated on the last day of the year, so December 31st. And the Three Wise Men Day is on January 6th. These are the typical dates for the celebrations during these holidays.
But did you know that in Mexico they have a marathon with even more dates celebrated during this Christmas season and holidays? No, we’re not kidding. But we also don’t mean a marathon in the sense of running.
Rather, it’s called that because there are many celebrations and food eaten during those days. It’s like celebration after celebration. And it starts on the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe and ends on the Three Wise Men Day.
Here are the dates for the “Maratón Guadalupe-Reyes”:
- Throughout December – Posadas
- December 12 – Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe (Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe)
- December 24 – Nochebuena (Christmas Eve)
- December 25 – Navidad (Christmas)
- December 28 – Día de los Santos Inocentes (Feast of the Holy Innocents)
- December 31 – Víspera de Año Nuevo / Fin de año (New Year’s Eve)
- January 1 – Año Nuevo (New Year)
- January 6 – Día de Reyes (Three Wise Men Day)
So if you go to Mexico, be prepared to celebrate and eat during all these days.
Fluency Corp Helps Celebrate the Holidays in Your New Country
Part of the process of adapting to a new country of residence is recognizing the cultural differences and celebrating the holidays. To do this, you’d have to learn the language, so you can talk and party with your new friends and coworkers.
We just helped you learn the holiday differences, now let us help you with the language part. After all, you need to truly know the language to feel more part of this new culture.
Fluency Corp is a corporate language school truly committed to helping companies and employees improve their language skills. This means you’ll learn everything you need to know to succeed at work. This includes adapting to the new country you live in now, whether because you chose it or you were relocated.
We have native teachers that will make the learning process better. Because you’ll get to hear the real accent and pronunciation of words, as well as learn from those who know the language inside out. After all, they live and use the language every day.
On top of that, our classes are completely customized to the job and your needs. So tell us what you want to achieve and we’ll create a plan accordingly.
Oh, and don’t worry about learning to speak like a local to adapt better to your new country. We make students speak in their target language in every single class using everything they’ve learned. It’s the best way to achieve language fluency.
So, are you ready to master your favorite language? Choose between our online or onsite classes. Then, contact us for a free consultation; we will answer all your questions!
