What Candelaria is
Día de la Candelaria (Candlemas) closes the Christmas season in Mexico. Families take their figure of the baby Jesus from the nativity scene to church to be blessed, often dressed in new clothes, and then eat tamales with atole or hot chocolate. It ties back to January 6: whoever found the little figure in the rosca de reyes is the one who hosts. See our Día de Reyes page for that half of the story.
There's no parade and no stage. It's a family and parish day, which is why most visitors never notice it. You will notice tamales everywhere, though: bakeries, market stalls and home cooks selling from coolers on street corners in the morning.
How visitors can join in
Eat tamales. Look for sellers downtown in the morning and ask what's in them: pork in red chile, chicken in green salsa, cheese with rajas (chile strips) and sweet ones with raisins are common. They sell out by early afternoon. If you'd rather have tacos, Tacos Gardenias is a local favorite, and downtown is a short taxi ride from Médano.
Churches in town hold masses with blessings of the Niño Dios figures. Visitors are welcome to sit quietly at the back; dress modestly and skip photos during the service.
The rest of early February
Early February is peak whale season, with humpbacks in the bay and dry, clear weather. Carnaval in La Paz usually follows in the days before Ash Wednesday. It's a good month for a longer stay; our February events page has the rest of the month.
Getting downtown from Médano
Downtown Cabo San Lucas is a 10-minute taxi ride or a 25-minute walk from Hacienda Beach Club. Go before noon, when the tamale sellers are out and the churches hold their morning masses. If you're staying longer, a few tamales make a good breakfast back at the villa the next day, warmed in a pan.