Earlier in the week I wrote about the preparations for the Christmas fair on the Zócalo. On Thursday I went back to see what it looks like. Although Alejandro and I are going downtown later today, I wanted to check the fair out on a weekday when it would be less crowded and easier to take photos.
The event is actually called a "Verbena Navideña". A "verbena" in Spanish is a street party or festival held to celebrate a holy day. This year's "verbena" is very similar to last year's.
The same as last year, there are three Christmas trees formed with live poinsettias. More than 7000 plants were used to create the trees.
A large piñata with a Nativity scene in the center
A giant Holy Family with a very oversized Baby Jesus
Many of them (but not the pizza) are traditional for this time of year.
For example "ponche" is a typical Christmas punch, and "romeritos y bacalao" is a common holiday dish. "Bacalao" is cod fish and "romeritos" are a kind of green plant that tastes similar to spinach or Swiss chard.
Another feature from last year is a handicrafts market housed in a large tent.
There is a variety of handicrafts for sale.
Large examples of embroidery work done by the women of the Otomí tribe.
Decorative items woven from palm fronds
An entire table is filled with clay figures of jaguars from the town of Amatenango del Valle in the state of Chiapas. (No, I did not buy any for my collection... at least not yet.)
In front of the Cathedral is a stage for musical performances. While I was wandering around there was a group playing jazz and another group playing tropical music.
In an upcoming post, I will have some pictures of the fair and the Christmas lights at night.
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