People in Latin America celebrate colorful, unique festivals that are being enjoyed not only by the locals but even tourists.  

With these festivals, you can learn to samba in Rio de Janeiro, honor the dead in Mexico, enjoy fantastic food in Peru, and have the time of your life, especially for tourists visiting Latin America. 

5 Unique Latin America Festivals

Celebrating festivals in Latin America is bound to be a memorable experience that deserves a spot on your bucket list. So, here are five of the famous festivals in the region.

Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead in Mexico

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday that serves as a counterpoint to Halloween and is arguably the region's most well-known celebration, according to Jacada.

Día de los Muertos is not a spooky two-day festival but an opportunity to honor loved ones. It is a UNESCO-recognized holiday commemorated across Mexico with parades, processions, and the ritualized presentation of gifts in memory of ancestors who have passed on.

Día de los Muertos was born out of indigenous culture and originated during the era of the Aztecs thousands of years ago. It was created to honor the departed while keeping their spirit alive in the community.

Pan de muerto (a sweet bread) and sugar skulls are popular foods to leave as offerings for the deceased. Although it originated in Oaxaca, the holiday is now widely observed across Mexico.

Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Carnival in Salvador de Bahia, a seaside town in Brazil's north, is widely acknowledged as the most genuine celebration of the Brazilian holiday. However, Rio de Janeiro's version is the best in terms of spectacle.

Partygoers in Rio de Janeiro enjoy nightly street fiestas (blocos) and samba dance competitions over two weeks leading up to four days of amazing partying at the city's iconic Sambadrome Stadium, which hosts the festival, Seeker reported.

The festival's original purpose was to mark the beginning of Catholic Lent, the 40 days before Easter, during which believers abstain from meat and general revelry.

However, the true spirit of this celebration has been obscured by the abundance of feathers, glitzy costumes, and bottomless caipirinhas. All this lively city goes crazy for the fiesta.

You can find samba street performances, endless rows of food and cocktail vendors, nonstop music, and some of the world's happiest people in every Rio neighborhood.

The Sambadrome is where the final dance competition takes place, and it features a spectacular display of crazy floats, revealing regalia, and out-of-this-world dancing. You can participate in the activity if you join a samba school a few weeks before the event.

The Rio Carnival, celebrated annually in late February or early March, is one of the best festivals in Latin America that you should experience.

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Mistura in Lima, Peru

Mistura is the largest culinary festival in Latin America. It celebrates Peru's indigenous and multi-ethnic culinary roots and showcases a wide array of fantastic food. Mistura runs for two weeks that begins the last week of August.

The country's unique culinary event is celebrated with dishes like the national dish cuy (deep-fried guinea pig), ceviche (marinated raw fish), and sanguche de chicharron (deep fried pork rinds).

Chocolate Festival in Belize

Emerald rainforest covers the rugged countryside of southern Belize, with rivers that wind their way down to the Caribbean Sea.

Cacao farms can be found in the southern Belizean town of Toledo, and inhabitants there claim the soil lends a unique flavor and scent to their chocolate. Nowadays, specialized chocolate shops like Cotton Tree Chocolate and Ixcacao are spreading the word about this product worldwide.

Toledo hosts the three-day Chocolate Festival of Belize, a celebration of the region's chocolate, artisanal chocolatiers, and ancient Maya culture.

Beginning on May 22, Punta Gorda and the surrounding areas will host a street fair, chocolate tours, wine and chocolate tasting, and musical and cultural acts. Chocoholics should attend this celebration!

Oruro Carnival in Bolivia

Every February, Bolivia hosts one of the grandest Latin America festivals, complete with elaborate dances, costumes, and music. One of Bolivia's most popular events is the Oruro Carnival, commonly called the Diablada (Dance of the Devils), according to Wanderlust.

The Diablada is a spectacular parade held on the Saturday preceding Ash Wednesday that features "demonic" dancers dressed in elaborate costumes. Up to 400,000 spectators watch the parade, which features an estimated 20,000 dancers and 10,000 musicians.

READ MORE: Suriname Festivals: Famous Local Celebrations 

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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