December 28 – El Dia de los Santos Inocentes or Holy Innocents Day

Childermas, more commonly known as Holy Innocents Day, is a remembrance of King Herod’s massacre of male infants in Bethlehem. The bloody decree was instigated in an ill-fated attempt to prevent the loss of his throne due to the birth of Jesus, which had been prophesied to him by the three wise men. In México, El Día de los Santos Inocentes is roughly equivalent to April Fool’s Day in the United States. Jokes and pranks are relatively common, and any unusual statements or irregular requests should be treated with a healthy amount of skepticism.

The Massacre of the Innocents | Artist: Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640)
Copy of painting. Date: circa 1637 | Medium: oil on panel
Dimensions: Height: 199 cm (78.3 in). Width: 302 cm (118.9 in).
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Peter_Paul_Rubens
Massacre_of_the_Innocents_-_WGA20259.jpg

Los Santos Inocentes: De acuerdo a un relato del Evangelio de san Mateo (2, 13-13), el Rey Herodes mandó matar a los niños de Belén menores de dos años al verse burlado por los magos de Oriente que habían venido para saludar a un recién nacido de estirpe regia.
A partir del siglo IV, se estableció una fiesta para venerar a estos niños, muertos como “mártires” en sustitución de Jesús. La devoción hizo el resto. En la iconografía se les presenta como niños pequeños y de pecho, con coronas y palmas (alusión a su martirio). La tradición oriental los recuerda el 29 de diciembre; la latina, el 28 de diciembre. La tradición concibe su muerte como “bautismo de sangre” (Rm 6, 3) y preámbulo al “éxodo cristiano”, semejante a la masacre de otros niños hebreos que hubo en Egipto antes de su salida de la esclavitud a la libertad de los hijos de Dios (Ex 3,10; Mt 2,13-14).

Photo: http://www.corazones.org/santos/inocentes.htm

Los Santos Inocentes: According to a story from the Gospel of Matthew (2, 13-13), King Herod ordered the massacre of the children of Bethlehem under two years to be outwitted by the Magi from the East who came to greet newborn of royal blood. From the fourth century, a party was established to venerate these children dead as “martyrs” in place of Jesus. Devotion did the rest. In iconography are presented as young children and breast, with crowns and palms (allusion to his martyrdom). The Eastern tradition remembers Dec. 29, the America, 28 December. The tradition sees his death as “baptism of blood” (Rom 6, 3) and the preamble to the “Christian Exodus”, like the slaughter of other Jewish children who were in Egypt before his release from slavery to freedom of the children God (Ex 3.10, Mt 2:13-14).

Artist: Duccio (1260–1318) Creator infobox template wikidata: 15792
Title:  Deutsch: Maestà, Altarretabel des Sieneser Doms, Vorderseite, Predella mit Szenen aus der Kindheit Jesu und Propheten, Szene: Bethlehemitischer Kindermord
Date: 1308-1311 |  Medium: Deutsch: Tempera auf Holz
Dimensions     42.5 × 43.5 cm (16.7 × 17.1 in)
Current location ; Deutsch: Museo dell’Opera del Duomo
Source/Photographer     The Yorck Project: 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei. DVD-ROM, 2002. ISBN 3936122202.
Alternative names: Duccio di Buoninsegna, Duccio
Description: Italian painter | Date of birth/death     between 1250 and 1260; Died: 1318

Festivities:  These are traditional holidays to honor religious events, such as Carnival, Holy Week, Easter, etc., or public celebrations.

November 2 – All Souls’ Day (Día de los Fieles Difuntos) also known as  Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos)

Traditional Mexican Day of the Dead (dia De Muertos) altar with sugar skulls and candles. Photo: BigStockPhoto.com / AGCuesta

The better known of the two early November holidays, Day of the Dead honors adult dead friends, relatives, and loved ones with altars (with favorite items of the loved ones), music, graveyard celebrations, food, and more. Calaveras de azúcar (small skulls made of sugar). It is not a state holiday.

Photo on right:
Traditional Mexican Catrina figurine for Mexican Day Of The Dead memorials. 
BigStockPhoto.com / AGCuesta

Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos)  is a holiday in which Mexicans remember and honor their deceased loved ones. Though it may sound gloomy or morbid, it’s not. It’s a festive and colorful holiday. Mexicans visit cemeteries, decorate the graves and spend time there, in the presence of their deceased friends and family members. They also make elaborately decorated altars (called ofrendas) in their homes to welcome the spirits.
http://gomexico.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/p/day_of_the_dead.htm

Mexican offering for the dead showing sugar skulls and assorted traditional candy.
Photo:  BigStockPhoto.com / AGCuesta

Representations of Catrina, one of the most popular figures of the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico.

Representations of Catrina.
Photo: Wikipedia Commons –  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead