New York Latin Culture Magazine®

World-class Indigenous, European & African Culture since 2012

Latin Festivals

Browse Latin festivals including parades, street fairs, holidays, independence days, national days, and faith days; in New York City and around the world.

Explore Latin Festivals in New York City

On Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, “Yom Tov”

Yom Kippur is the Jewish day of atonement. It commemorates the return of the biblical Moses from the mountain with the second set of tablets. Atonement is making good or settling all of the bad stuff left around from the previous year. The holiest Jewish day of the year is a fast that many spend praying for forgiveness in synagogue. An appropriate greeting is "Yom Tov" which … [Read more...] about On Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, “Yom Tov”

Junta Hispana 2023 is a Family Festival of Latin Culture in Queens

Junta Hispana 2023 is a family-oriented festival of Latin food, music, dance, beauty, and folklore from 20 Spanish-speaking countries of the Americas. Sort of a casual Latin World’s Fair, it’s even on the Flushing Meadows Corona Park location of the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The festival is produced by Bravo and Ctown Supermarkets which sell many Latin products in Latin … [Read more...] about Junta Hispana 2023 is a Family Festival of Latin Culture in Queens

“Harvest Moon” is a Native American Name for the September Full Moon

The Harvest Moon is one of the Native American names for the September full moon. The September full moon is normally the Corn Moon. The Harvest Moon is either the September or October full moon, whichever is nearest the Fall Equinox, the beginning of fall in astronomy. Full moon names in the United States follow Indigenous traditions. This moon is called the “Corn Moon” … [Read more...] about “Harvest Moon” is a Native American Name for the September Full Moon

Fall in Love with New York City

Fall is American English for Autumn, the season that transitions from summer to winter. The Fall months in the northern hemisphere are September, October, November. I once thought it would be cool to create an endless Summer by heading South in November and returning North in May. After all you can travel light without winter clothes. After a while though, it feels like … [Read more...] about Fall in Love with New York City

Queens Hispanic Parade is a Grand Community Celebration

The Queens Hispanic Parade 2023 celebrates the diversity, traditions, folklore and unity of the Queens Hispanic community. Founded in 1976, the parade is a series of community events including: a parade queen coronation, gala, and parade. Queens is probably the most diverse region on the planet. It's the starting point for many New Yorkers. Wherever you are from, there is … [Read more...] about Queens Hispanic Parade is a Grand Community Celebration

Celebrate Obatalá, the Orisha Who Made the World and People

In the Orisha faiths, Obatalá is the sky father, son/daughter of the one God (Olodumare), and creator of Earth and humans. Yoruba culture of modern Nigeria, Benin and Togo is considered the mother culture of the Orisha faiths, but there are related traditions up and down the West Coast of Africa. If you strip away the religious concepts, the Orishas are forces of nature … [Read more...] about Celebrate Obatalá, the Orisha Who Made the World and People

Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 Isn’t About Spanish Culture Any More

Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 isn't about Spanish culture, it's about us, the Americans of the Americas who come together in the United States, and especially New York City, the capital of the Latin world. We meditate on Hispanic Heritage Month every year, because as New Yorkers traveling constantly in the Caribbean and Latin America, our understanding of what it means to be … [Read more...] about Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 Isn’t About Spanish Culture Any More

Harlem’s African American Day Parade Celebrates African American Culture

Harlem's African American Day Parade 2023 is an annual festival of African American culture in one of America's most vibrant African Diaspora communities. There is a community day on Saturday, followed by Sunday's Pre Parade Show, and the parade. Celebrating African American Culture This year's theme might seem obvious, but it's not for many Americans. A lot of … [Read more...] about Harlem’s African American Day Parade Celebrates African American Culture

Manhattan’s Mexican Day Parade Celebrates Mexican Independence Day

Manhattan's Mexican Day Parade 2023 celebrates Mexican culture and contributions to the United States. There are two Mexican Day Parades in New York City this year: Mexican Independence Day celebrates El Grito de Dolores, a speech by Father Miguel Hidalgo that launched the Mexican War of Independence, from Spain, on September 16, 1810. The parade is actually a … [Read more...] about Manhattan’s Mexican Day Parade Celebrates Mexican Independence Day

Celebrate Oshun, Yoruba Orisha of Fresh Water, Fertility and Love

Oshun is the Yoruba orisha of fresh water, fertility and love. She is young, petite, beautiful, and a little bit vain. She likes to see her beauty in her mirror. But don't underestimate her. Oshun is one of the most powerful of all the orishas. When there is no other solution, she will find one. And she loves humanity. Characteristics of Oshun Oshun wears yellow and … [Read more...] about Celebrate Oshun, Yoruba Orisha of Fresh Water, Fertility and Love

Celebrate Our Lady of Charity (La Caridad del Cobre), Patron Saint of Cuba!

Our Lady of Charity, La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, is the patron saint of Cuba. Her feast is the Nativity of Mary on September 8 Our Lady of Charity, La Caridad del Cobre Our Lady of Charity (Caridad del Cobre) The venerated image is a clay figure in the Basílica Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre (National Shrine Basilica of Our … [Read more...] about Celebrate Our Lady of Charity (La Caridad del Cobre), Patron Saint of Cuba!

West Indian Day Parade is the Climax of New York Carnival

The West Indian Day Parade 2023 is the climax of New York Carnival. The parade follows Trinidadian Carnival traditions, but includes the cultures of including: Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Barbados, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and Granada, Guyana, Suriname, and Belize. West Indian Day Parade 2023 The West Indian Day Parade 2023 marches on Eastern Parkway … [Read more...] about West Indian Day Parade is the Climax of New York Carnival

Celebrate U.S. Labor Day!

Labor Day, on the first Monday in September, is a U.S. holiday that honors workers and the labor movement. It's also the popular end of summer. International Workers' Day Most countries celebrate International Workers' Day on May 1. We don't because the U.S. government didn't want our celebration associated with the Haymarket riot in Chicago on May 4, 1886. And since … [Read more...] about Celebrate U.S. Labor Day!

Celebrate Yemayá, the Great Mother Orisha of the Sea

Yemayá is the Yoruba orisha of motherhood and the sea. She is often represented as a mermaid, but is not just a mermaid. She is the great mother of us all and represents Mother Earth, the life giver. As the patron of women, she is associated with the moon which has a powerful influence on women. The Mother of the Fish In the Yoruba language, Yemayá's name means "mother … [Read more...] about Celebrate Yemayá, the Great Mother Orisha of the Sea

Celebrate the Virgin of Regla!

Our Lady of Regla is a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary venerated in: Virgin of Regla in Cuba In Cuba, the Virgin is venerated at the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Regla, (Church of Our Lady of Regla) in Regla, Havana, Cuba. Regla is an Afro-Cuban neighborhood famous for its music. Her feast day is September 7. Every year the faithful gather for a procession. … [Read more...] about Celebrate the Virgin of Regla!

New York Carnival Celebrates Freedom Trinidad Style

New York Carnival 2023 gets Brooklyn jumping up from the kickoff on August 10, through Voicey's Long Live Soca Tour, SocaFest, Junior Carnival, Panorama, Sunrise Day Soiree, J'ouvert, many fêtes, to a big climax at the West Indian Day Parade on Labor Day, Monday, September 4, 2023. 🇹🇹 The festival draws on many Caribbean traditions including: Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, … [Read more...] about New York Carnival Celebrates Freedom Trinidad Style

National Dominican Day Parade Celebrates “Our History, Our People”

The National Dominican Day Parade 2023 celebrates Dominican culture and Dominican contributions to the culture of the United States. "Our History, Our People" The Dominican Republic has a long history as the Indigenous Táino heartland, a Spanish colony, a divided island, and now a Caribbean success story. The diversity of the Dominican people is incredible, and … [Read more...] about National Dominican Day Parade Celebrates “Our History, Our People”

Yewá Dances in the Cemetery to Help the Dead Move On

In the Caribbean, Yewá is a warrior orisha of fertility, chastity, loneliness, and death. She doesn't cause death, she helps us get through it. She has other meanings in Mother Africa. [NOTE: These are oral traditions that vary by region, town, and even family. We don't do religion. This is culture, a very beautiful one. It's a Caribbean framework for understanding the … [Read more...] about Yewá Dances in the Cemetery to Help the Dead Move On

Ecuadorian Parade NYC 2023 Celebrates Ecuadorian Independence in Jackson Heights, Queens

The New York Ecuadorian Parade 2023 celebrates Ecuadorian Independence Day (August 10, 1809) in Jackson Heights, Queens. The celebration includes the parade and an Ecuadorian Festival of art and folklore on the following Sunday. Ecuadorian Parade Gala Dinner The Ecuadorian Parade 2023 Gala is at a location in Flushing Meadows Corona Mark on Friday, August 4, 2023 at 8pm. … [Read more...] about Ecuadorian Parade NYC 2023 Celebrates Ecuadorian Independence in Jackson Heights, Queens

Our Lady of the Angels is the Patron Saint of Chile and Los Angeles

Our Lady of the Angels (Queen of the Angels) is a Marian devotion who is the patron saint of Chile, and the inspiration for the name of the City of Los Angeles, California. The devotion completes the cycle of the Virgin Mary's life from: Recognition of the divinity of women was not part of early Christian teachings. It was desired by the people and finally recognized … [Read more...] about Our Lady of the Angels is the Patron Saint of Chile and Los Angeles

The Peruvian Parade 2023 and Peruvian Festival Comes to Paterson

The Peruvian Parade 2023 is a coronation, flag raising, gala, parade, and festival around Passaic, Clifton and Paterson, New Jersey. Coronation The Paterson Peruvian Parade Coronation is at the Fiesta Banquet Hall in Wood-Ridge, NJ on Sunday, July 2, 2023 at 11am. $80. 🇵🇪 Flag Raising The Peruvian flag raising is at Clifton City Hall and Passaic City Hall … [Read more...] about The Peruvian Parade 2023 and Peruvian Festival Comes to Paterson

The Bronx Dominican Parade 2023 Marches Down Grand Concourse

The Bronx Dominican Parade 2023 is a celebration of Dominican pride in the West Bronx, which is home to a large Dominican community. The celebration includes a Parade Queen Coronation, Gala Dinner Dance, and the Parade. La Coronación de la Reina The Bronx Dominican Parade 2023 Queen's Coronation is at Casa Del Mar seafood restaurant; on Sunday, July 16, 2023 at 5pm. … [Read more...] about The Bronx Dominican Parade 2023 Marches Down Grand Concourse

Celebrate Ogun, the Warrior Orisha of Metals, Technology, Drivers and Rum. ¡Aguanile!

Celebrate Ogun, the Cuban Yoruba orisha of metal, technology, drivers and rum on June 29. Who is Ogun? [NOTE: These are oral traditions that vary by region, town and even by family. In Cuba, they are a blend of many traditions. This is our own cultural understanding.] Ogun is the Yoruba orisha of metal, technology, drivers and rum. He is one of the Seven African … [Read more...] about Celebrate Ogun, the Warrior Orisha of Metals, Technology, Drivers and Rum. ¡Aguanile!

Our Lady of Perpetual Help is the Patron Saint of Haiti

The Marian Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is celebrated on June 27. The image of the Cretan icon became the patron saint of Haiti when prayers were answered with rain that helped end a cholera outbreak. The Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a 15th-century icon, originally from Crete, a major source of European religious imagery … [Read more...] about Our Lady of Perpetual Help is the Patron Saint of Haiti

The Summer Solstice is the Longest Day of the Year in the Northern Hemisphere

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the longest night of the year in the southern hemisphere. If you go far enough north, the sun doesn't set at all, and we have the "midnight sun." If you go far enough south, it doesn't rise at all. Summer Solstice 2023 The Summer Solstice falls on June 20th or 21st. The next one is … [Read more...] about The Summer Solstice is the Longest Day of the Year in the Northern Hemisphere

NYC’s Museum Mile Festival is an Open House Block Party on Fifth Avenue

The Museum Mile Festival is a free open house block party, put on by the museums on Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile. It's on the second Tuesday in June. Fifth Avenue closes to traffic. The Avenue fills with people and family-friendly street entertainment. You can visit the museums for free. It's one of the highlights of summer in New York City. Museum Mile Festival 2023 The … [Read more...] about NYC’s Museum Mile Festival is an Open House Block Party on Fifth Avenue

NYC Pride Month is June!

June is NYC Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈 NYC Pride Month 2023 Being a creative city, New York is very LGBTQ and LGBTQ friendly. Much of the rest of the world is not so sure (surely because it's still in the closet!). The Stonewall Riots at the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan's West Village took place on June 28, 1969 and for some days after. Standing up to the bully inspired a … [Read more...] about NYC Pride Month is June!