Colorful fiestas, from the religious to the quixotic

JANUARY

January Fair and the Festival of San Sebastian the Martyr

Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas: Despite its origins, this spirited festival is more merrymaking than martyrdom. Highlights of the Fiesta de enero, or January Fair, are hundreds of Parachicos masked dancers sporting exotic wigs, and special dishes. The fair starts in mid-January, and festivities culminate in a staged naval battle on the river Grijalva and a fabulous fireworks display on Jan. 21.

Tip: Accommodations are limited in Chiapa de Corzo, so plan to stay in Tuxtla Gutierrez (nine miles west). www.travelchiapas.com

FEBRUARY

Candelaria (Candlemas)

San Miguel de Allende: This celebration, marking the midpoint (Feb. 2) between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, is a hybrid of Catholic and indigenous rituals. Juarez Park is a profusion of color with a huge weeklong plant sale.

Tip: Stay at one of San Miguel's many B&Bs, such as Casa de la Cuesta, where your hosts help you gain insider information about cultural festivals. www.internetsanmiguel.com

Veracruz Carnival

Veracruz, Veracruz: Carnaval kicks off with the Quema del Mal Humor, the burning in effigy of bad humor. Daily parades with imaginative floats, coronations of a queen, an ugly king and child king, dances and riotous concerts follow. Gyrating dancers, revelers in outlandish garb, and noisy musicians fill the streets. On Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, the celebrations end with the burial of Juan Carnaval, the symbol of wanton excess and revelry, as the abstinence of Lent begins.

Tip: West Coast residents might find cheaper flights to La Paz or Mazatlan, where they celebrate carnival with similar excess. www.carnaval.com/cityguides/veracruz/vc_carnaval.htm

MARCH/APRIL

Palm Sunday Folk Art Market

Uruapan, Michoacan: The largest open-air folk art market in Mexico starts the weekend of Palm Sunday. On Saturday morning, artisans in native dress parade through town to the central plaza, where a week of selling begins.

Tip: The finest handicrafts can be found at the Concurso, a juried exhibition. www.michoacan-travel.com

Holy Week

San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato: Palm Sunday is celebrated with a procession from the Parque Juarez down Sollano Street to the Parroquia church. The week culminates in a Good Friday re-enactment of Christ's persecution in the central plaza. San Miguel's many churches hold extravagant paschal Masses on Saturday evening. In the late morning, people crowd in to watch as papier-mache figures of Judas, rigged with firecrackers and suspended from wires above the plaza, are exploded.