October Festivals in San Miguel de Allende

There are four main festivals in October in San Miguel de Allende:

• October 4^th is the Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi.

• October 7^th is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary Nuestra Senora del Rosario.

• October 12^th is Columbus Day or Dia de la Raza.

• October 31^st is Halloween

 

 

Feast Day of Saint Francis of
Assisi in San Miguel de Allende

October 4^th is the celebration of the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi.

St. Francis of Assisi was lover of all creations, champion of justice, patron saint of animals and the environment. He founded the Franciscan Order.

In 1979, Pope John Paul II proclaimed St. Francis of Assisi the patron saint of ecology. The pope cited him for being “an example of genuine and deep respect for the integrity of creation….“St. Francis,” he added, “invited all creation—animals, plants, natural forces, even Brother Sun and Sister Moon— to give honor and praise to the Lord.”

The bishops of the United States published a document in 1992 entitled Renewing the Earth. In it the bishops praised St. Francis while reminding their readers: “Safeguarding creation requires us to live responsibly in it, rather than managing creation as though we are outside it.” We should see ourselves, they added, as stewards within creation, not as separated from it. Francis was ahead of his time. He saw himself, like today’s environmentalists, as part of the ecosystem, not as a proud master over and above it.

St. Francis of Assisi composed the Canticle of the Creatures

Canticle of the Creatures

All praise be yours, My Lord,
through all that you have made.
And first my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day….

How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his splendor!
Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon and Stars;
In the heavens you have made them, bright and precious and fair.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air….

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water,
So useful, lowly, precious and pure.

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom you brighten up the night….

All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Earth, our mother,
Who feeds us…and produces various fruits
With colored flowers and herbs….

Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks,
And serve him with great humility.

—St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early Biographies

 

Our Lady of the Rosary or Nuestra Senora del Rosario

October 7^th is the feast of the Holy Rosary. It was established on October 7, 1571, by Saint Pius V on the anniversary of the naval victory won by the Christian fleet at Lepanto. The victory was attributed to the help of the holy Mother of God whose aid was invoked through praying the Rosary.

It is celebrated all over Mexico but especially in Talpa de Allende, in the state of Jalisco. Nuestra Senora is their Patroness Saint. They have a special morning mass and all the pilgrims bring gifts for the virgin. They have fireworks at night.

Columbus Day or Dia de la Raza in San Miguel de Allende

October 12th is the festival of Columbus Day. In Mexico it is known as Día de la Raza or Day of the Race.

In 1918, philosopher Antonio Caso took October 12th as an opportunity to praise the “Mexican mestizo race”, La Raza, the rich mixture of Spanish and indigenous cultures. He was perhaps the first to coin the term La Raza, which has now been adopted by Latinos everywhere. Ten years later, the Día de la Raza was declared an official national holiday by the Mexican Congress.

For hundreds of years, People have admired Columbus for his skill as a navigator, for his Discovery of America and for bringing European culture to this land.

Columbus was the first to bring direct contact between Renaissance Europe and the American continent with its various civilizations. Europeans sought wealth and to pass on their culture and religion. The indigenous people welcomed them, only find themselves subjugated by these invaders. This opened the door for the flood of other explorers. Hernan Cortes, less than 30 years later in 1521, landed on the shores of Mexico. He too was received with gifts, and he proceeded to conquer the vast Mexica empire which is Mexico today.

Today many ethnic groups, historians, sociologists, and defenders of human rights from all over the world, see the celebration of Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the Americas and the ensuing destruction of the indigenous people as very controversial.

Mexicans because of their very rich cultural diversity have long been involved in this controversy; in 1836, Oaxacan historian Don Carlos María de Bustamant, thought that October 12, 1492 was “the most villainous day there could ever be in America; the day its slavery was established”.

Alfonso Reyes, one of Mexico’s most distinguished scholars, said that “America was the invention of poets, the charade of geographers, the boasting of adventurers, the greed of companies and, in short, an inexplicable appetite and an urge to transcend limits”.

Though the controversy continues, it has produced some positive changes; it has brought attention to the plight of the indigenous populations of the Americas. In 1992, partly in response to the commotion surrounding Columbus Day, the Latin American Fund for the Development of the Indigenous People of Latin America and the Caribbean was formed by all of the governments in the region, as well as Spain and Portugal. This is one of the many efforts being made to bring recognition and assistance to the native populations of these regions.

On October 12, in San Miguel de Allende, a candlelight ceremony is held at the Plaza de Toros Oriente on Calle Recreo in remembrance and mourning for all of the indigenous people that have suffered due to the conquest of Mexico by the Europeans.

 

Halloween or Young Souls Day in San Miguel de Allende

October 31^st is Halloween or Young Souls Day. In Mexico, Halloween as it is celebrated in the United States is becoming more popular with kids. Although many people are trying to play down this influential holiday and refocus the country on the Dia de los Muertos celebration. For More information about the Dia de los Muertos celebration, please go to November Festivals in San Miguel de Allende.

 

 

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