Enjoying San Miguel De Allende, Mexico, Throughout the Year - Part One: May!
MAY May is normally a very warm month.
It is the last month before the late spring or early summer rains and it is the driest month.
Even so, warm days will often give way to cooler evenings, perfect for strolling and enjoying San Miguel at night.
In May, the month begins with a parade, honoring workers.
May 1st is the international celebration of Labor Day, the "Dia de los Trabajadores,"the day of the workers, in Mexcio.
Many businesses are closed.
There is a parade through the town and around the main square, the Jardin Principal.
Two days later, the masons, called "albañiles," in Mexico, have their day.
May 3rd, is not only to honor the masons but is the beginning of the celebration known as Santa Cruz, the Feast of the Holy Cross.
As with many Catholic holidays, Santa Cruz coincides with the seasonal cross-quarter called Beltane; this pagan holiday celebrates the time of planting, and in Mexico, the time of the coming of the rains.
For the masons, Santa Cruz and their day overlap.
Traditionally, the masons make a cross out of lumber from their work site.
On the day of Santa Cruz, they take the cross to church to be blessed during the mass.
Afterward, they take the cross back to the work place and place it in a conspicuous spot, where it can be viewed, while the work continues.
On May 3rd, however, work is suspended.
After the mass blessing the crosses, it is a time to have a feast and to celebrate by shooting off fireworks.
The feast is usually simple, with a main course which is either goat or pig or lamb.
This is served with plenty of salsa, tortillas, a consommé of borrega (sheep) and other condiments such as pickled onions and chiles; for refreshments, usually beer and soda are served.
Throughout the rest of the month, there will be festivals celebrating Santa Cruz, in outlying villages and at various locations in San Miguel.
Each week, one of four "colonias," or communities within the town, hosts celebrations.
San Miguel de Allende celebrations are often accompanied by fireworks.
Some guests find the fireworks distracting or annoying, and excessive; especially in the early hours of the morning, around 5AM.
Others find the firecrackers and sky rockets charming.
The last weekend in May, the colonia of Valle de Maiz, known for its indigenous population of Chichimecas, hosts the Santa Cruz celebration.
In terms of decibels delivered, it is to the largest of the month-long festivities.
May 5th, Cinco de Mayo, is a minor holiday which celebrates a battle that was won by a small force of Mexican soldiers against a greater force of French soldiers, in what is known as the Battle of Puebla.
Cinco de Mayo is often mistaken as Mexican Independence Day, like July 4th in the United States.
Instead, it is more a day which is honored in remembrance rather than large scale festivities.
Before the month ends with a bag of bangs in Valle de Maiz, there is another celebration which is highly honored throughout Mexico.
This is Mother's Day.
In Mexico, Mother's Day is celebrated on May 10th.
Many businesses close early and there are large parties, in family homes, given for mothers.
These are the feasts which provide the classics of Mexican Cuisine, its moles (especially Poblano, Negro, Verde/Pipian), its corn dishes (such as tamles or taquitos), its stuffed chiles (such as the Chiles Rellenos), and its desserts (including flan or tres leches cake).
While some are home celebrating, the restaurants are also catering to the crowds honoring mothers.
Some places give out roses to the Mothers, others offer free drinks or desserts.
In the square around the Jardin Principal, the stage is set up for musical performances which last throughout the evening.
Minstrels, singers, and mariachis take turns entertaining the crowd and honoring the mothers of Mexico.
In between the Santa Cruz weekend festivals, May in San Miguel is slower paced than most months.
The winter crowds of snow birds and snow birding tourists have home in April.
San Miguel de Allende, like many areas in Mexico, is a very popular destination for people from the northern parts of the United States and much of Canada; there are many northern Europeans who are also drawn to the San Miguel winter climate.
Many own a second home in San Miguel.
By May, many of these homeowners have locked up and gone back to their "first" homes for the season.
Because May is slower-paced, many businesses will take their vacations, closing down for anywhere for a week to a month.
Businesses that stay open often offer discounts.
Because San Miguel stays relatively mild, even in the hottest of times, going there in May offers the opportunity to enjoy the less crowded, often less-expensive version of the town.
Slower paced, less crowded, shops to yourself, restaurant seating easily obtained, a still and opportunity to enjoy a world class tourist destination, this may be the month to visit San Miguel.
It is the last month before the late spring or early summer rains and it is the driest month.
Even so, warm days will often give way to cooler evenings, perfect for strolling and enjoying San Miguel at night.
In May, the month begins with a parade, honoring workers.
May 1st is the international celebration of Labor Day, the "Dia de los Trabajadores,"the day of the workers, in Mexcio.
Many businesses are closed.
There is a parade through the town and around the main square, the Jardin Principal.
Two days later, the masons, called "albañiles," in Mexico, have their day.
May 3rd, is not only to honor the masons but is the beginning of the celebration known as Santa Cruz, the Feast of the Holy Cross.
As with many Catholic holidays, Santa Cruz coincides with the seasonal cross-quarter called Beltane; this pagan holiday celebrates the time of planting, and in Mexico, the time of the coming of the rains.
For the masons, Santa Cruz and their day overlap.
Traditionally, the masons make a cross out of lumber from their work site.
On the day of Santa Cruz, they take the cross to church to be blessed during the mass.
Afterward, they take the cross back to the work place and place it in a conspicuous spot, where it can be viewed, while the work continues.
On May 3rd, however, work is suspended.
After the mass blessing the crosses, it is a time to have a feast and to celebrate by shooting off fireworks.
The feast is usually simple, with a main course which is either goat or pig or lamb.
This is served with plenty of salsa, tortillas, a consommé of borrega (sheep) and other condiments such as pickled onions and chiles; for refreshments, usually beer and soda are served.
Throughout the rest of the month, there will be festivals celebrating Santa Cruz, in outlying villages and at various locations in San Miguel.
Each week, one of four "colonias," or communities within the town, hosts celebrations.
San Miguel de Allende celebrations are often accompanied by fireworks.
Some guests find the fireworks distracting or annoying, and excessive; especially in the early hours of the morning, around 5AM.
Others find the firecrackers and sky rockets charming.
The last weekend in May, the colonia of Valle de Maiz, known for its indigenous population of Chichimecas, hosts the Santa Cruz celebration.
In terms of decibels delivered, it is to the largest of the month-long festivities.
May 5th, Cinco de Mayo, is a minor holiday which celebrates a battle that was won by a small force of Mexican soldiers against a greater force of French soldiers, in what is known as the Battle of Puebla.
Cinco de Mayo is often mistaken as Mexican Independence Day, like July 4th in the United States.
Instead, it is more a day which is honored in remembrance rather than large scale festivities.
Before the month ends with a bag of bangs in Valle de Maiz, there is another celebration which is highly honored throughout Mexico.
This is Mother's Day.
In Mexico, Mother's Day is celebrated on May 10th.
Many businesses close early and there are large parties, in family homes, given for mothers.
These are the feasts which provide the classics of Mexican Cuisine, its moles (especially Poblano, Negro, Verde/Pipian), its corn dishes (such as tamles or taquitos), its stuffed chiles (such as the Chiles Rellenos), and its desserts (including flan or tres leches cake).
While some are home celebrating, the restaurants are also catering to the crowds honoring mothers.
Some places give out roses to the Mothers, others offer free drinks or desserts.
In the square around the Jardin Principal, the stage is set up for musical performances which last throughout the evening.
Minstrels, singers, and mariachis take turns entertaining the crowd and honoring the mothers of Mexico.
In between the Santa Cruz weekend festivals, May in San Miguel is slower paced than most months.
The winter crowds of snow birds and snow birding tourists have home in April.
San Miguel de Allende, like many areas in Mexico, is a very popular destination for people from the northern parts of the United States and much of Canada; there are many northern Europeans who are also drawn to the San Miguel winter climate.
Many own a second home in San Miguel.
By May, many of these homeowners have locked up and gone back to their "first" homes for the season.
Because May is slower-paced, many businesses will take their vacations, closing down for anywhere for a week to a month.
Businesses that stay open often offer discounts.
Because San Miguel stays relatively mild, even in the hottest of times, going there in May offers the opportunity to enjoy the less crowded, often less-expensive version of the town.
Slower paced, less crowded, shops to yourself, restaurant seating easily obtained, a still and opportunity to enjoy a world class tourist destination, this may be the month to visit San Miguel.
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