November 20th is Revolution Day, the day when the uprising against the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz began in 1910. The Revolution was a decade-long conflict which profoundly changed Mexico. Since 2006, the holiday has been observed on the third Monday of November, creating a three-day weekend known here as a "puente" or bridge.
Besides Revolution Day, there are two other "puentes". Constitution Day (February 5th) is observed on the first Monday of the month, and the birthday of Benito Juárez (March 21st) is observed on the third Monday of March.
As important as the Revolution was, most Mexicans are probably not thinking much about its historic significance. This is the "Buen Fin" (Good Weekend) which marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. Since 2011 Mexican retailers, emulating "Black Friday" in the U.S., have offered sales on this weekend.
Throughout the country, you will see signs such as this one, outside of one the Liverpool department stores.
Liverpool is offering discounts of up to 40%. Of course "up to" is the operative phrase here. Some merchandise is discounted less and not everything is on sale.
I will probably take advantage of the "Buen Fin" sales and shop for a new television set. The "smart" TV which I bought in Ohio during the pandemic and which I had shipped to Mexico when I moved, is no longer working. It worked fine down here for almost a year, and then all of a sudden it only connects sporadically with the internet. That means that I can't watch anything on Netflix or Amazon Prime. I will be joining the masses of shoppers, but, unlike the United States, people aren't lining up in the middle of the night waiting for the stores to open. And I have never heard of people pushing and trampling each other in their stampede for bargains.
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