Get ready for New Years in Cozumel! This special holiday issue we feature New Year’s Eve Traditions in Cozumel, a very important warning if you are planning on traveling to the other side of the island on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, and a Cave-in in my neighborhood (Colonia Independencia).
New Year’s Eve in Cozumel
The big to do in Cozumel on New Year’s Eve is to bring in the New Year on the other side of the Island. Many families camp on the beach over night and await the first sunrise of the year. Some Cozumel families (and single adults), celebrate at home or attend a party in town and head for the other side of the island in time to watch the sunrise. If you are going to celebrate by going to the other side of the island be certain to read the warning in the next article.
I noticed my first New Years Eve in Cozumel that locals were shopping for new clothes to bring in the New Year. I never gave it any thought until I ran across this explanation in Mexconnect.com: “What you wear on New Year’s Eve is thought to influence your destiny during the next 12 months. Some dress in white from head to toe to invite good vibrations and assure a good year spiritually. Green clothing attracts a year of good health. Wearing red underwear is said to bring love, while yellow underwear brings wealth.”
New Year’s Eve dinner is usually a feast. Family favorites vary; meals might include a Roasted turkey or a stuffed pork roast with the usual side dishes. The big to do at midnight is the toast with the grapes. Each person gets 12 grapes, one grape for each month of the coming year. At the stroke of midnight, you drink a champagne toast to the New Year, then you have one minute to eat the 12 grapes one by one. You make a wish with each grape. Buy your grapes early, they go fast at the market, and be certain they are the small seedless grapes!
A Warning for New Year’s Eve:
There will be no alcohol on the Beach!
The Department of Public Safety announced that alcoholic beverages will not be allowed to be transported to the other side of the island by those traveling to spend the New Year’s Eve there, nor those traveling to the other side of the island to see the dawn of the New Year. The police will have two check points to make certain everyone complies. One checkpoint will be at the entry of “Los Ranchitos” by the side of the cross-road, and the other will be at El Cedral, by the side of the perimeter road.
These checkpoints will be also inspect motorcycles to make certain that they are wearing helmets, that no more than two people are riding it, and that all their lights are working. All motor vehicle drivers are required to wear seat belts, searched to make certain they are not carrying alcohol, and that the driver is not driving while intoxicated.
More than a thousand people are expected to welcome the New Year on the east coast of the island and to ensure the safety of the public, surveillance operations will involve all divisions of the police patrols as well as military personnel. There will also be a special operation in the city by the Division of Civil Protection to discourage the burning of rag dolls, to prevent a possible fire. This is an old tradition; the burning of the rag dolls represents getting rid of the “old year”.
A Cave-in in the Neighborhood
On December 29th, a day after my family and neighbors cheered on the heavy equipment that was re-paving Avenue Xel-Ha, a section of the street sank creating a huge hole. The hole, said to be 10 meters in size is behind the Independence Sports Center. Neighbors reported the earth began to “swallow” the pavement on 15 Avenue between Felipe Angeles and 50 Avenue, around 3:30 in the afternoon. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
The Deputy Director of Civil Protection, Canul Lucio Andrade, said that the most likely cause was an area of caves and underground cenotes that was probably filled years ago as part of the urban growth of the city. After several decades, factors such as the heavy rains that hit in recent months, and the weight of the heavy machinery caused the cave-in.
Cenote
Cenote is a term that is only used in Mexico and comes from the Mayan word “dzonot” meaning “abyss”. They are wells of fresh water created by the erosion of limestone, a soft and porous stone. To ensure public safety, the Civil Defense Authorities have closed the road to vehicles until further notice. The picture of the cave-in is courtesy of Por Esto Newspaper.
Have a safe and Happy New Years Cozumel!
The Cozumel Sun
