Celebrating New Years’ Eve in Mexico: Get to Know Local Traditions and Popular Destinations

December 31^st is fast approaching and if you still haven’t decided where to spend the New Year’s Eve, we have a great suggestion for you: Mexico! Some of the most popular tourist destinations offer a myriad of festive activities for people feeling the wanderlust. Other, less crowded places have their own take on New Year’s Eve to offer as well.

You can celebrate in various restaurants or spend this wonderful night with your Mexican hosts. Just pack your bags, don’t forget to purchase Mexican Insurance Online and get ready for a completely different way to ring in the New Year!

New Year’s Eve in Mexico

Most Mexican families spend this night at home with their beloved ones or in their friends’ homes and enjoy a very intimate atmosphere. They revel in cooking for their guests and participating in some of the most interesting New Years’ Eve traditions you’ll find anywhere on the globe. Families and friends often rush to the streets after the clock strikes midnight and join in a lively neighborhood gathering.

Younger people often spend the night with their friends at parties organized for the occasion. In larger cities, the locals enjoy a massive street festival around the main plaza called zócalo. Fireworks light the sky as firecrackers and sparklers echo throughout the streets of this wonderful city. Streets are often filled with food stands, and the entertainment provided by live music and dance troupes.

The zócalo in Mexico City is a host to a traditional New Years’ Eve celebration festival, centered around the Angel of Independence. However, if you plan on ringing in the New Year by celebrating with the locals on the main square, we recommend wearing “disposable” clothes, as a common tradition after the clock strikes midnight is to break eggs open on each other, coupled with confetti.

New Years’ Eve Traditions

Tourists often find the locals’ traditions extremely amusing. For example, wearing brightly colored underwear to ensure good luck, love or lots of money in the coming year is both cute and curious. Another huge tradition, not just in Mexico but in lots of other Spanish-speaking areas is to eat one grape for every strike of the midnight toll. Also, don’t be surprised if you see a lot of people with a suitcase, as this is believed to attract good luck for future travel plans. Sometimes the locals will celebrate by bursting a piñata, a tradition no longer typical for this country alone.

As for the traditional foods to celebrate the occasion, among the most common dishes is bacalao, dried and salted codfish. Another common dish is tamales, flavored corn-paste wrapped in corn leaves and then steamed. Mexicans enjoy toasting with a glass of cider, rompope, a type of eggnog or a hot fruit punch known as ponche. However, the locals won’t shy away from tequila as well.

Where to Spend the New Years’ Eve?

There are a lot of ideal locations to visit in Mexico at this time of year. The most popular ocean-side tourist resorts like Ixtapa, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta or Los Cabos are packed every year, as hotels and restaurants offer special events hosted for tourists. Whether you are in for a dinner or a full-blown party, you will find a little bit of something for everyone’s taste. If you want to visit Mexico on a budget you can celebrate the occasion at the main square in Mexico City or other large cities and be an eyewitness to the rich tradition first-hand.

Purchase Mexican Insurance Online for a Stress-Free Celebration

If you plan on going by car, don’t forget American and Canadian insurance policies are not accepted in Mexico. To purchase fast, easy, reliable and AFFORDABLE Mexican insurance online, visit Oscar Padilla Mexican Insurance website at www.MexicanInsurance.com and get your policy from the comfort of your home or office.