"Las Calendas"

In Oaxaca the celebration of this festival, deep popular content, announces the arrival of Christmas. It is dedicated to those who will be godfathers of the Child Jesus, responsible for carrying in procession from the house to the neighborhood temple, accompanied by many people. Sometimes parishioners prepare a float for a parade that ends in the Cathedral, shortly before midnight. The end of the festival, which marks the placement of the Child Jesus in the manger birth is in each temple and houses.

The Merry calendas also used to celebrate a wedding or any other event.

It all starts on Friday night with calenda organized stewards, walk the streets and main avenues of the city accompanied by music of the town band, fireworks, lanterns and burning of traditional bull.

The custom ordered at least three days before Christmas, the godparents 'the child' home where he was placed at birth, will take performing a tribute to pray the rosary at 8:00 pm, attendees concluded that cigars, drinks and food are offered. 

On the 24th morning the child is placed on a silver platter or in a basket arranged exprofeso, around 3:00 pm, the music came to the house and began to interpret his melodies, dusk neighbors congregated that accompany the calenda, sponsors, to thank his presence gave them milk atole and tamales.

The joint appointment was around the Zocalo, which customarily had to give three laps and return to the temple; usually Midnight Mass was celebrated at 12:00 pm, when all the bells of the city ringing and rockets and rockets in unison burned. After Mass Godmother "was to kiss the child" in the temple door handing out the collation.

No matter the presence of resources, the most important thing was that the whole city knew that the child God had sponsors and calenda.