So maybe you’re tired of being snow-covered or rainy and wish to celebrate Christmas in Cozumel. Why not head to your nearest airport and head south for some wonderful food, fun, and beach time? It’s a beautiful time of year to be in Cozumel. The island is alive with the spirit of the season. The skies are full of beautiful clouds and the waters of the Caribbean are turquoise blue. This is the perfect place to spend your holiday. You will find warm weather, white sand beaches, and a lot to see and do. It is on the Caribbean Sea and is about a two-hour flight from the US mainland. There are many flights to Cozumel. However, during the Christmas season, flights are at a premium, and if you want to get there at the last minute, it may be worth considering flying into Mexico City and taking a flight from there.
The Christmas season is important for the island’s citizens. It is the time of year when families and friends gather to celebrate together. It’s a time when the island’s people get together to celebrate a long holiday of fun and merriment. During this time all government agencies close and no official business gets done on Cozumel from December 12 to January 6. You still will discover lots of entertaining things happening on the island for you to see and take part in.
Everything gets kicked off with the custom of posadas. While this translates to “inn”, over the yuletide period, it relates to a string of processions or parties in which both children and adults take part. Each night from December 16th through to Christmas Eve, various residences are decorated and children pass from door to door singing a song and asking if there’s a figurative “room at the inn”. This recreation of the Christmas tale (which sees Mary and Joseph doing much the same thing) ends on Christmas Eve when they are invited in to enjoy the party. Though, a posada most refers to a generic Christmas party experienced in the run-up to the joyous season, with a plethora of food, drink, and pinatas.
On Cozumel, it is Christmas Eve when the festivities are observed rather than December 25th proper. Christmas Eve is a night of reflection and with a multitude of events taking place across the island, it is an ideal time to go for a walk and ponder what the future holds for you. You can also spend this night at home with a feast and an immense Christmas tree in the middle of the room. Otherwise, known as Nochebuena, cozumelenos will take part in the final posada celebrations by enjoying an extravagant family dinner and singing karaoke till the sunrise on Christmas Day. Cozumel natives spend Christmas Day at the beach or pool, eating, drinking, and playing sports.
Cozumel children used to expect the distribution of their much yearned for gifts on the Día de Los Reyes (January 6th, otherwise recognized as Epiphany). They would compose a letter to the Reyes Magos, before sending it into the sky attached to a balloon and leaving a shoe on their windowsill in which to receive the presents. January 6th marks a significant date in the Mexican Christmas calendar, as it’s when the sweet bread known as Rosca de Reyes is eaten. Hidden within this decorated, oval-fashioned loaf are tiny figurines of baby Jesus. But you don’t want to be the one to discover him in your portion, because custom dictates that the Jesus-finder must buy everyone tamales on February 2nd during Candelaria.
The Christmas season is important for the island’s citizens. It is the time of year when families and friends gather to celebrate together. It’s a time when the island’s people get together to celebrate a long holiday of fun and merriment. Cozumel is the place to be for all things festive and the perfect place to visit for the holidays.
Written by Stingray Villa