What to do in Cancun? — part 7: Discover

One of the best things about traveling on Vacations is Exploring what is around you, and Discovering certain hiding activities, that could make it extra special, as we have mentioned before in the list of things to do while visiting Cancun.

Mexico, has several events regarding worldwide and Mexican culture during the whole year, unique festivities, sometimes unknown outside the country, but with a special mysticism, and with the colorful dress wear and soul that characterizes us.

The day of the Dead or Día de Muertos, is celebrated each year between October 31st and November 2nd, this celebration, honors our dearly departed ones, with food and offerings to the people we cared about, each state in Mexico, has different culinary options, but all of them keep the same structure in regards traditions.

October 31st — Honors our ancestors, especially grandparents and elders, that passed away many years ago.

November 1st — Is for all the pure spirits day — where all the little angels that reached heavens can come down and eat from an Altar.

November 2nd — Day where our death beloved ones, rise and enjoy the food and festivities with us.

There is also a Festival of Life and Death at the Xcaret park, where these memorable dates are celebrated with a showcase of dances, and typical food, having a different state each year, as a special guest.

Our second event showcased here is a Natural phenomenon, that can be experienced in several states, but in Cancun, it has a special show of shadows and light for all the spectators, we are talking about the Equinox, which occurs twice a year, once during summer, and the other during Fall.

The Word Equinox provides form Latin aequinoctium that means equal night, so applied to this phenomenon, means that these days the day and night have the same length ( 12 hours even), this occurs twice a year, when the Sun is at the closest point towards the equatorial line, first date is in March with the Summer Equinox, and second is in September with the Fall Equinox.

This time the Fall one will take place on September 23rd, and at the Chichen Itza Ruins you can watch the astonishing descent of the Feathered Serpent, thanks to the calculations of the Mayan architects, that had a great knowledge of the stars when constructing the Main pyramid, the Kukulcan one, that has sculpted heads at the base of the same, to complete the illusion.

And the third event you ’can’t miss is the Sacred Mayan Journey, part of the heritage of the Mayan culture, where the ancients honored the Mayan Goddess of Fertility Ixchel, who is also the god of the moon, water, and love. It can be witnessed every year in May.

In this tradition, the Mayans crossed the sea from Ppolé port onto Cozumel on wooden canopies, with offering to the Goddess, so they could be Fertile, and to thank her for the water provided for their agriculture.

This adventure, also had a spiritual meaning, as the Crossing of the sea, meant they dived into the underworld (Xibalba) and by arriving to land again, was viewed as a rebirth and a blessing to all that participated in the worship.

’Don’t forget to discover other national festivities, like 5 de Mayo, September 15th (’Mexico’s independence) and holy week (where you can see Catholic representations at the beach). Which can be Experience here inside your Club Solaris Resort, hope to see you soon in order to create new memories you will cherish for years to come.