What is the history of Día del Niño?

The last day of April every year marks a special occasion all across Mexico. El Día del Niño or Children’s Day, a national celebration of children and childhood, often surprises visitors with its importance and genuine warmth. Family and children in particular are highly valued in Mexican culture, and this is reflected in the significance of the day. While the United Nations has recommended every country set aside a day to celebrate children each year since 1954, Mexico had already been celebrating its own Children’s Day for almost 30 years by that point. In 1924 then President Alvaro Obregon signed the now defunct League of Nations’ Declaration of the Rights of the Child. The signing’s anniversary the following year was on April 30th 1925 and this became the first annual nationwide Día del Niño. The history of setting aside a day to celebrate children in Mexico can be traced back even further, with some cities, such as Tantoyuca in Veracruz, holding local festivities on various dates including May the 8th.

Alvaro Obregon - 46th President of Mexico

El Día del Niño Today

Modern day celebrations of the day are focused on making children feel special and loved. If April the 30th falls during the school week, children still attend school although classes are not usually held and the day is given over to fun activities, often supported by parents and the wider community. Popular festivities include piñatas, the giving of simple gifts such as toys, live music and various games. In some rural areas of Mexico, dressing up in colorful, traditional clothing is popular, although most children attend school in their uniforms. If the day falls on a weekend, such as this year, it will be celebrated by the school the preceding Friday. The age at which children stop celebrating the day in school varies by region, here in Quintana Roo it is not celebrated once a child starts Secundaria at around 12 years old. Outside of school, children are often treated to days out, such as a visit to the beach or the local parque. Special food is often prepared for children, with sweet foods such as cakes, candy and in particular chocolate or hot chocolate being favorites. While increasingly rare in modern day Mexico, one previously common practice was for children to sing a song called Bate Bate Chocolate about hand mixing chocolate tablets, with simple easy to learn words, while using a wooden hand-held beater. 

Businesses often join in the celebrations with special Children’s Day events held in theme parks, cinemas and waterparks amongst others. Museums often run theme days, and free entry for children is sometimes offered. Many travel companies also run campaigns focused on giving children the best possible day, and even some offering the opportunity for adults to pamper their own inner child for the day! Gift giving by parents is also increasingly common, with children requesting a wide range of presents from the traditional to the modern and high tech. There is also a strong charitable element to the day with children’s charities running popular campaigns to collect toys and donations for less fortunate children, particularly those without families.

Fun and games make up much of the school day rather than lessons

The importance of the day is unsurprising, with children and their role in the family being central to Mexican culture. It is often said that in Mexico a home without a child is no home at all. The primacy of the image of the child in the still-dominant Catholic faith is a big factor in the status of children in the country and this is further magnified by its unique fusion with the already family unit based Mesoamerican cultures that predated it, with Aztec, Maya, Olmec and Zapotec cultures all having clear family structures. For many years Mexican families were large, with many children, in keeping with church and cultural expectations, however as in many countries, the increasing cost of raising children has changed this. Despite the subsequent steady decrease in the average number of children in each family, Mexico’s demographics still skew towards the young, with those under 14 representing over a quarter of the population. Parents often take a very active part in children’s lives, particularly when it comes to schooling, with parental involvement being necessary to function (and financing) of the education system. 

This month’s Childrens Day is particularly special as it marks the first time many children and families have been able to spend the day together with friends and extended family after two years of restrictions. With schools having returned to face-to-face teaching, many younger students are getting their long overdue first experience of a ‘normal’ Children's Day.

To read more about Mexican festivals and culture, check out our blogs here.