| One of the largest and liveliest Venezuelan holidays
is Carnaval, which is celebrated on the Monday and Tuesday before
Lent. The festival was originally celebrated to get rid of excess energy
before Lent, which is the period before Easter associated with fasting
and penitence. Carnaval is usually celebrate with parades and street
parties. People in intricate and beautiful costumes dance to a lively kind
of music called calypso. |
| It
is a tradition in some parts of Venezuela to steal the Christ Child from
a nativity scene. When the Christ Child is found again, there is a celebration
marking his return. |
|
| During Holy Week, people perform passion plays.
These plays show the suffering of Jesus in the last few days before his
Crucifixion. Traditionally, the most elaborate passion plays have been
held near the city of Mérida in La Parroquía. These plays
involve hundreds of actors and draw thousands of spectators. On Good Friday,
in many towns, people carry a large wooden cross in a procession. This
ritual represents Jesus's walk to the cross on the original Good Friday.
Corpus Christi is a more light-hearted holiday
on the ninth Thursday after Easter. Dancers wear devil masks and take communion
outside the church. This ritual symbolizes God's victory over the devil.
There is a large celebration of devil dancing in San Francisco de Yaré,
south of Caracas. |
|
| The feast day of Saint John the Baptist is especially
celebrated in the central coastal region where many people of African heritage
live. A statue of St. John the Baptist is baptized in a river or in the
ocean. Then the community dances to the music of African-style drums called
tambores.
Christmas is usually celebrated on December
24, or la noche buena. Families gather to eat a special holiday
dish called hállaca. Most Venezuelans take a long holiday
from mid-December to mid-January and spend time with family and close friends.
There are large displays of fireworks on Christmas Eve and on New Year's
Eve. |
| In
December, some Venezuelans make life-sized dolls that represent the problems
of the past year. They burn these dolls at midnight on New Year's Eve,
to symbolize a new beginning for the next year. |
|
January 6 is Epiphany, the day that celebrates
the three kings who came to visit the Christ Child. In some communities,
people dress up in masks and costumes, and dance while they wait for the
three kings to come into town on horseback.
| January 1 |
New Year's
Day, Anniversary of the Republic |
| January 6 |
Epiphany/Feast
of the Three Kings |
| February or
March |
Carnaval |
| March or April |
Holy Week,
Good Friday and Easter |
| April 19 |
Declaration
of Independence |
| May 1 |
Labour Day |
| June 24 |
Battle of
Carabobo |
| July 5 |
Independence
Day |
| July 24 |
Simon Bolívar's
Birthday |
| October 12 |
Discovery
Day and Race Day |
| December 25 |
Christmas
Day |
|
|