“Guadalupe-Reyes” ends tonight…

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Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon is a typical concept of Mexican pop culture.

It began in the decade of the 1990s and informally refers to the vacational period from December 12 (Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe) to January 6 (Day of the Three Wise Men or “Tres Reyes Magos”). During this period there are several holidays which, linked together, create a “marathon” of festivities. The challenge is not only to attend the festivities but to at least drink any type of alcoholic beverage every day. This Marathon is not part of the Mexican Folklore; it is merely a pop-culture phenomenon.

The celebrations linked together by the Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon are:

  • December 12: Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
  • Every evening from December 16 to December 24: The nine Posadas parties.
  • December 24: Last posada and Christmas Eve (Nochebuena).
  • December 25: Christmas Day
  • December 28: Holy Innocent’s day, akin to April Fool’s Day, which in Mexico consists on playing pranks and practical jokes.
  • December 31: New Year’s Eve
  • January 1: New Year’s Day
  • January 6: Day of the Three Wise Men (“Reyes Magos”)
  • The last celebration of the season is Day of Candelaria on February 2. In Mexico, this festivity is linked to the feast of the Magi on January 6 by the traditional rosca de reyes. It is also common to celebrate consuming the traditional atole and tamales. However, being almost a month away from all the celebrations that happen in late December and early January, it is excluded from the “Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon”.
  • Common celebrations include consuming alcoholic beverages daily leading up to a mass celebration on the last day of the festival.

The name of the marathon (Guadalupe Reyes) has also been used in advertising, movies, and comedy shows sometimes featuring the fictional character of “Guadalupe Reyes”, a Mexican name which can belong either to a male or a female.

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