Friday night-Sunday, September 25-27
El Jardín Principal
Free
La Alborada - festival
One of the most important traditions, since colonial times to the present, is the celebration of the patron saint San Miguel Arcángel.
The San Miguel people celebrate these patron saints the weekend closest to September 29, so this may vary between September and October.
It´s very interesting and folkloric, differents town areas holds great parties until early hours of the morning, and then join a large parade around two thirty in the morning, in the main square.
La Alborada represents the fight of Archangel San Miguel against Lucifer, that is translated in a pyrotechnic spectacle that lasts one hour approximately.
After many years, until 1925, the workers of the textile factory La Aurora resumed this ancient tradition. In that same year, the famous Mojigangas were also created. This first Alborada took place with these cute puppets and with colorful stars and was performed in the temple of the Immaculate Conception. A year later it would be celebrated in the Parish of San Miguel Arcángel.
There is band music in every corner of the square, where groups of people coming from different city areas, like valle del maíz (the Corn Valley), La Aurora and La Estación celebrate.
They bring with them huge colorful stars, made with Chinese paper, that evoke the Virgen de la Luz, who was worshiped since 1930 by those who worked in the textile factory La Aurora, and carry candles inside because they illuminated the processions in times when there was still no electricity.
La Alborada begins at 4 in the morning with the ringing bell and the rockets that are offered to the Archangel San Miguel, to obtain their blessings throughout the year.
The next day the party continues, where a traditional show with Voladores de Papantla, burning judas (paper dolls) and many traditional food stalls are presented. There is also a unique parade, between the religious and pagan where the ¨concheros¨show their native dances to offer ¨xuchiles¨ (beautiful offerings).
