Christmas and New Year in Mexico, 2009
If you've never spent Christmas or New Year somewhere exotic, away from home, then Mexico is a great choice. It's got its own traditions as well as all of the warmth you'd find back home...
IH Riviera Maya is open for Spanish courses all over the festive season and our Christmas social programme is a special one...
These are just some of the highlights...
Week 14-20 December
- Monday 14th Come down to the beach with us to watch a movie at the Zenzi Bar, one of our favourite Playa del Carmen beach bars
- Tuesday 15th Piñatas No Christmas would be Christmas to any Mexican kid without a 'piñata' (see images, right). Our workshop this afternoon will be having you make your own. Hands on!
- Wednesday 16th You can't come to Mexico without sampling our cuisine -- and learning how to make Mexican food for when you get back home. Today, come learn how to make a traditional Mexican Christmas dish
- Thursday 17th Apart from our amazing cookery, Mexican handicraft is something to try your hand at. Come get hands-on this afternoon and design your own piñata
- Friday 18th Join us in the garden for our posada navideña, our Christmas Mexican Party: vamos a quebrar las piñatas y a cantar villancicos (sing carols)
Week 21-27 December
- Monday 21st Another chance to learn something of Mexican Christmas handcraft in our hands-on workshop
- Tuesday 22nd We've got a Mexican Christmas movie this afternoon. Come and enjoy a Mexican Christmas story!
- Wednesday 23rd Our cooking class this afternoon will show you how to make a traditional Mexican Christmas dish
- Thursday 24th Come join us for our Brindis navideño, our Christmas toast
- Friday 25th Christmas Day is a public holiday in Mexico and the school will be closed
Week 28 December-3 January
- Monday 28th Mexican New Year traditions We will be showing you some of the fun things that make a Mexican New Year in some ways the same, in many others different... what to wear, what to eat, what to say at midnight, etc!
- Tuesday 29th Our Mexican culture class this afternoon will teach you all about our Mexican New Year superstitions...
- Wednesday 30th Come along this afternoon and we'll show you how to make another traditional Mexican Christmas dish
- Thursday 31st Join us in the garden for our Brindis de Año Nuevo to toast in the New Year: 'Feliz año nuevo'!
- Friday 1st New Year's Day is a public holiday in Mexico and the school will be closed
Week 4-10 January
- Monday 4th We're going back to the Zenzi Bar, to watch another movie on the beach... Come along with us!
- Tuesday 5th La carta a los Reyes Magos Time for writing your wish list to the Three Wise Men. If you want any presents, come and practice your writing skills in this fun workshop. The wish lists are sent to Los Reyes Magos in a very special way… don't miss it!
- Wednesday 6th Celebrate with us! January 6th is "Día de Reyes" throughout the Spanish-speaking world, traditionally the day when presents are exchanged (rather than December 25th). Typical of Día de Reyes is also the 'rosca de reyes' cake: if you get the bit with the Baby Jesus figure in it, Mexican tradition has it that you make tamales for everyone on February 2nd. (Don't worry, we can show you how in one of our Mexican cooking workshops!)
- Thursday 7th Come help organize Friday's Kermesse, which we're running in aid of underpriveleged children in Playa
- Friday 8th Come along to our Kermesse, 3.00pm, in the school garden [see also, photos of our last Kermesse]
NB Note that the social programme is occasionally subject to last minute changes.
The social programme comes as part and parcel of every Spanish course at IH Riviera Maya.
More about our Mexican cookery course -- which you can take as a full course add-on, if our social programme has given you a taste for it.
