To close the year with a flourish, for the first time the event Say Goodbye to the Old Year will be held in Veracruz, which will attract tourists from all over the country, consolidating itself as a safe and ideal destination to say goodbye to 2024 and welcome 2025.
According to information from the Government of the State of Veracruz, this celebration will fill the four-time Heroic Port of Veracruz with joy and tradition, for which the Secretariats of Tourism, Culture and Civil Protection planned artistic and cultural activities, as well as logistics to prevent risky situations.
When will the farewell parade be?
In this sense, on Tuesday, December 31, the farewell parade will be held, which will start at 1:00 p.m. from Zamora Park, advance along Independencia Street and end at the Zócalo.
The sector has prepared to give the best service to visitors
This parade will have 245 participants, including baton twirlers, drum bands, floats, sound trucks, comparsas, mojigangas, a crane with El Viejo and dancers.
To welcome 2025, at 1:30 a.m. there will be fireworks. This event aims to illuminate the sky for 15 minutes with lights and colors that symbolize hope and celebration in the Plaza del Migrante Libanés, Villa del Mar, Asta Bandera, Hotel Lois and Plaza de los Valores.
The municipalities of Veracruz and Boca del Río will participate in this event, as well as the private and tourist sectors, including restaurateurs, hoteliers, travel agencies and transporters.
How did the tradition of “El Viejo” come about?
The tradition of celebrating “El Viejo” before the end of the year was born in the port of Veracruz and is considered a symbol of the Veracruz identity. This tradition has spread to other parts of Mexico and Central America.
El Viejo emerged in 1875 as a labor protest by port workers, who demanded a kind of Christmas bonus as a reward for their work throughout the year. Later, this tradition spread throughout the state.
For this holiday, a person dresses as an old man, may be accompanied by a shawl, hat, old clothes and a cane, while walking down the street reciting to the rhythm of the conga: “A charity for this poor old man, a charity for this poor old man, who has left children, who has left children, for the new year, for the new year.”
Source: oem
