La Cruz Kicks Off Nine Days of Patron Saint Parades & Festivities Lori Wilson - Amigos de La Cruz
April 24, 2015

The annual Festival of the Patron Saint of La Cruz will commence Saturday evening April 25, 2015 with the Opening Celebration Parade at 7:00 pm.

Amigos de La Cruz has again been invited to participate and we’ll be there ready to march!

If all goes according to plan Philo will lead off with his band on a flat bed truck, doing their best to play some of our favorite tunes while not falling out of their seats as they bounce over the topes and cobblestones.

The Amigos recycling truck (decorated with banners and plastic bottles) with Cesar and Pedro in the back will follow.

The Amigos will be walking behind as we wander through the streets of La Cruz, making our way to the plaza.

We’d love our supporters to participate as well. If you have an Amigos t-shirt please wear it. Another option is to purchase an Amigos visor for 100 pesos ($6.50 US) which will be available before the parade. A shirt or visor is not a requirement – show up naked for all we care – just show up!

We’ll start gathering at 6:00 pm at the staging grounds by the soccer field on the mountain side of Atun. Just drive (or walk) up and you’ll find us.

This is the start of 9 days of celebration in La Cruz. Each morning will begin with a bang (literally) and a procession to the church, repeated in the early evening and ending at the plaza for a party featuring a vast array of food and drink and of course, music, bottle rockets and fireworks. La Cruz knows how to party!

A past article from RivieraNayarit.Com

La Santa Cruz is a tradition that defines Riviera Nayarit, a magical destination where natural wonders and culture are intertwined. The event will take place at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle.

Extending for nine days, the whole town celebrates while the bells in the small church toll, and the streets are filled with stands that offer food and traditional games, and the sky is painted with the colors of fireworks.

However, the most anticipated event is a large religions celebration called La Santa Cruz. The town has embraced this celebration and made it its own, and as one popular saying states: “the name bears the penance”, and they have named their town La Cruz de Huanacaxtle.

However, the original name of this town is not based on this religious celebration. Although the town’s name is La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, the origins of this name remain unknown. There are several possibilities, like the abundance of this tree in the region, or even a legend that says that a peasant traveling in the area of the Bahia de Banderas valley towards Punta de Mita found this beautiful location and rested under the shade of a huanacaxtle tree.

The peasant liked the place so much, that he decided to mark a cross in the tree before leaving, with the conviction that some day he would come back to this place, identify that tree which gave him a break from the sun and would build his home there, thus creating the name La Cruz de Huanacaxtle. The truth is that no one can verify this story, and at the entrance of town there is a huge cross, made out of wood and adorned with pink, purple and blue decorations during the festivity.

These three colors embellish the town. However, the most impressive feature is the passage of the local fishermen’s boats on the water. These boats set sail early in the morning, decorated with these three colors and displaying the Santa Cruz (Holy Cross). Later in the day they go back to church to attend mass.

This simple but beautiful celebration that is one of the many reasons that set Riviera Nayarit apart from other beach destinations.

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