Born in Mérida, Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican/Canadian blogger, photographer and adventure expedition leader. He holds degrees in multimedia, philosophy, and translation from universities in Mexico, Canada and Norway.
Christmas in Yucatán has a flair all its own, but simply would not be the same without Santana Clause or Papa Noel as he is also commonly known in Mexico. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
With Christmas just around the corner, Mérida’s parks and public plazas will be overflowing this evening with special events and markets.
Everything is in place for tonight’s festivities at Parque de Las Américas. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
Shows are scheduled tonight at several city parks including el Parque de La Alemán, El Remate, and Parque de Las Américas starting at around 6 p.m.
Aside from free family free entertainment featuring nativity plays, games, and dancing the festivals are sure to feature Santa Clause himself – or at least one of his office envoys.
With colorful Christmas lights and ornaments, Mérida’s main square and Paseo de Montejo are also suitably decked out for the holidays.
Large nativity scene in Mérida’s main square near the flag pole. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
Christmas shows and photo opportunities with Santa Claus will run until roughly 10 p.m. at shopping malls like Plaza Galerías and Las Isla.
Like at any special event in Mérida food is sure to be plentiful, as well as stall to pick up some last-minute Christmas gifts. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
Also extremely popular is the Coca-Cola Christmas village set up in the parking lot of the Chedraui selecto.
The Coca-Cola Christmas village features mechanical rides, games, food stalls and the city’s largest Christmas tree. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
In many ways, Christmas in Yucatán is quite similar to the holiday in the United States, Canada, or Western Europe, though there are differences.
Reindeer are not exactly native to Yucatán, but that has not hurt their popularity one bit. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
Some children receive a token gift on Christmas day, with larger gifts delivered by Los Reyes Magos on January 6.
As is the case every year, for several weeks now dozens of Mérida’s roundabouts have been decorated for Christmas. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
Many homes serve meals featuring turkey or ham, but dishes such as tamales, Russian-style salads, and cod are also popular.
When you think of Christmas in México, Cod (Bacalao in Spanish) is unlikely to be the first thing you think of, but for scores of families, it’s synonymous with Christmas dinner. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
