Cruise through the calendar to see holidays celebrated around Latin America, in each season of the year.

January 6 Three King's Day throughout Latin America February/March (date varies each year) Carnival Brazil April 8 Sealing the Frost Guatemala April (date varies each year) Vigil of Easter Mexico May 3 Dia de la Cruz Mexico, Venezuela, El Salvador, and Peru May 5 Cinco de Mayo Mexico August 30 Santa Rosa de Lima Day Peru October 12 Dia de la Raza throughout Latin America November 1 - 2 El Dia de los Muertos throughout Latin America December 12 Guadalupe Day Mexico December 16 Posadas Mexico December 21 St. Thomas' Day Guatemala December 23 Night of the Radishes Mexico December 31 Ano Viejo Ecuador Photos: Brooklyn Children's Museum, Leon V. Kofod Slide Collection

Three Kings' Day January 6, throughout Latin America On this day, Christians wait for The Three Kings, who brought gifts to the baby Jesus, to bring presents for children.

Carnival 3 days during February or March (date varies each year), Brazil This holiday's name comes from "Carne Vale," translated as "goodbye to meat." People get together and have fun before Lent, the forty days when Christians are not supposed to eat meat or rich foods. Children spend the whole year creating costumes, floats, and dances for the great Samba School Parade.

Sealing the Frost April 8, Guatemala This is a traditional ceremony of the Cuchumatan Indians to protect their corn from frost. Villagers follow holy men up a cliff to where the frost lives. One prayer maker is lowered over the edge of the cliff with a rope tied around his waist. He covers a crack in the rock with cement so that the frost won't be able to get out.

Vigil of Easter 2nd Sunday in April (date varies each year), Mexico This holiday marks the day after Jesus died and before he rose from the dead with a special Easter Vigil Service. People make ugly dolls of Judas, who betrayed Jesus. They stuff them with fire crackers, hang them, and ignite them. When the Judas doll explodes, candies and gifts fall out.

Dia de la Cruz (Day of the Cross) May 3, Mexico, Venezuela, El Salvador, and Peru On this day in 326, St. Helena is said to have found the cross on which Jesus was crucified. Catholics mount displays around crosses in their homes and decorate them with flowers.

Cinco de Mayo (Fifth of May) Mexico On Cinco de Mayo, Mexicans remember the day in 1862 when Mexican general Benito Juarez and his army beat the French at the battle of Puebla, when the French were trying to take over Mexico. To celebrate, Mexicans dress up as soldiers and recreate the battle in the plaza.

Santa Rosa de Lima Day August 30, Peru The people of Lima take a silver statue of St. Rose covered with roses from the local church to the city cathedral. Children in white robes sing hymns and adults in purple robes carry lit candles to honor her.

Dia de la Raza (Day of the Race) October 12, throughout Latin America Columbus Day is celebrated in Latin America as the "Day of the Race" because many Spanish settlers who followed Columbus intermarried with the native population, creating a new race.

El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) November 1-2, throughout Latin America This fall festival is a time to remember dead family members and pray to their souls to return to the land of the living for just one night. Mexicans build altars decorated with cooked foods, candles, sugar skulls, and colorful flowers such as orange marigolds and purple orchids to welcome back the dead. Read more about the Day of the Dead.

Guadalupe Day December 12, Mexico Thousands of Mexicans come to the church at Guadalupe to commemorate the day in 1531 when the Virgin Mary appeared before an Indian woodcutter and asked him to build a church on this site.

Posadas December 16, Mexico On each of the eight nights before Christmas, Mexicans re-enact Joseph and Mary's search for shelter (posadas) on the night of Jesus' birth. Friends approach a house singing traditional songs, asking to be let in. At first they are refused, but finally, they are invited inside and the Posada party begins.

St. Thomas' Day December 21, Guatemala On St. Thomas' Day, Guatemalan Mayan Indians honor the sun god by dancing the dangerous palo voladare, the flying pole dance, in which three men climb to a platform at the top of a fifty-foot pole.

Night of the Radishes December 23, Mexico In some parts of Mexico, the radishes grow as large as athe length of a child's arm. On this day, there is an annual radish sculpture competition. Sculptors carve radishes in the shapes of famous and historical figures for all to see.

New Year's Eve December 31, Ecuador The Ano Viejo is represented by a scarecrow-like figure made from a stuffed shirt and pants and is burned at midnight. Children dress up in black as the Ano Viejo's widows, and scream as he burns.