Ixtenco church, Mexico. Photo by Javier Sanchez Toledano, http://yo.toledano.org
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Ixtenco Corn Festival
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When:
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23 - 24 Jun 2008 (annual)
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Where:
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Ixtenco
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| Costs: |
Free
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| Opening Hours: |
All day and night
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Ixtenco, near Puebla, annually commemorates its patron saint, San Juan Bautista, with a curious Corn Festival. Locally known as the Feria del Maíz, crowds take to the streets and lovingly prepare "carpets" of corn, seeds, fruit pips and flowers.
Preparations begin on 23 June every year and raucous music, dancing and fireworks carry on throughout the night, reaching fever pitch at 2am on 24 June when the effigy of San Juan is brought out of the church and paraded through the town.
The festival has a tremendous party atmosphere, as well as being a rare opportunity to see the brightly-coloured traditional dress of the Otomí Indians.
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