According to the Mexica calendar, tomorrow is the start of a new year. To mark the occasion, San Jose-based Azteca dance group Calpulli Tonalehqueh will kick off their 24th annual, 3-day New Year celebration — the largest of its kind in the US — this afternoon at Emma Prusch Park.

Also known as Yancuic Xīhuitl, this cultural holiday begins with the burning of ocote (pitch-pine) candles accompanied by prayers + a series of drum, song, and dance performances. The weekend’s festivities will also feature Native American-owned businesses, kids activities, and food + drink vendors.

Alongside cultural performances, local arts collective — Together We Create (TWC) — is also gathering a group of 22 diverse artists to paint several large murals throughout the park over the course of the weekend. This will be their largest group of artists since TWC’s first collaboration with Mexica New Year in 2017.

We may see lots of rabbits in the art this weekend — as this year’s significance is dedicated to Matlactli Tochtli, or “10 Rabbit.” The number 10 represents two hands coming together for the duality, reflection, and awakening of our senses, while the rabbit symbolizes creativity, good taste, and the fertility of the earth.

In honor of the rabbit, Bay Area-based artist Jesse Hernandez created a special glyph design for Tochtli, the main dancewear brand used by Calpulli Tonalehqueh, and will be featured on t-shirts available in limited quantities this weekend.

Mitlalpilli — the Techutli, or leader of Calpulli — noted this event is not just a celebration, but a ceremony to honor and educate.

“We want to make sure that all of our guests living on this land are aware, respectful, knowledgeable, and conscious about the traditions and the cultures of the native people of this continent,” he said. “This is essential for us […] and actually for everybody that’s living here in this land.”

You can find this weekend’s full schedule of events on Calpulli Tonalehqueh’s website.

Share this with friends + family you'd like to take to this year's celebration.

EVENTS

Today

Build Your Own Mason Bee Home | Fri., March 11 | 4-7 p.m. | SoFA Pocket Park, 540 S. First St. | Free | Join Veggielution in creating sunflower stalks, straws, and rolled paper tubes to attract these pollinators to the pocket park. 🐝

Saturday

Dr. McFunk Fest | Sat., March 12 + Thurs., March 17 | 10 a.m. | Dr. Funk, 29 N. San Pedro St. | Free entry | Join Dr. Funk + O’Flaherty’s Pub in an all-day block party with live music, Irish dancers, traditional Irish food, and Irish-inspired cocktails. 🍀
Music Industry Discussion | Sat., March 12 | 11 a.m.-12 p.m. | San Pedro Square | Free | Join Balanced Breakfast to connect with South Bay professionals about what’s happening in the national + local music scene.
The Winehouse Experience | Sat., March 12 | 8 p.m. | The Ritz, 400 S. First St. | $22 | Enjoy this tribute concert to the late Amy Winehouse with all of her hits — complete with a horn section, choreographed background singers, and more. 🎵

Sunday

Boundless Spontaneity: Jazz Responses to Figurative Traditions | Sun., March 13 | 2-4 p.m. | San Jose Museum of Art | Prices vary | Enjoy this live jazz performance, commissioned as part of the Our whole, unruly selves exhibit. 🎷

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

70+ MARCH EVENTS

Note: COVID-19 protocols can change rapidly. Please make sure to check event listing pages + venue websites for the most up-to-date information.

NEWS NOTES

Weather

73º | Sunny | 2% chance of rain

Traffic

SF-bound Caltrain commuters — be advised that yesterday’s San Bruno accident may have continuing service delays today. Check Caltrain’s Twitter for live service updates. (The Mercury News)

Open

Axe-Men Throw House — an indoor ax throwing facility — opened its doors just last week and will host an open house on Wed., March 22 from 4-7 p.m. at 14 S. Second St. Grab a free lesson that day + donate to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley for a chance to win a prize. (Digital Journal)

Plan Ahead

Ready for some luck of the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day? The Real Irish Comedy Tour will be returning for a performance on Thurs., March 17 to The Improv. This tour is the vision of Dublin, Ireland native David Nihill, who will be joined by comedians Sean Finnerty + Martin Agolo. ☘️

Civic

This week, the city council approved a San Jose Clean Energy contract that will help reduce the community's reliance on fossil fuels. This milestone will aid in the city becoming more environmentally friendly. 💡

Sports

MLB owners and players tentatively reached a deal yesterday on a new five-year collective bargaining agreement. The full 162-game regular season is expected to start on Thurs., April 7. The deal ends the lockout that began on Dec. 2 and is still pending ratification. ⚾ (The Mercury News)
It’s time to go fishin’. The time to place your season deposit is now. The San Jose Barracudas will open their virtual select-a-seat to Barracuda Battery members on Tues., March 22, which will ensure home game access + entry to exclusive events with the players.

Ranked

San Jose ranked No. 4 of 25 cities where dog walkers are paid the most. The average dog walker salary in California is $27,240 + in SJ, the average is $33,981. That’s not so ruff. 🐾

Jobs

Love news, writing, grammar + SJCtoday? Then you should apply for our Editorial Internship Program. Must be detail-oriented, a self-starter, and ready for a fun, fast-paced environment with daily deadlines. See position details and apply.

📸 @alyssa.wigant

The San Jose Sharks partnered with Zoom + Local Color to commission six murals from local artists that answered the question, “What does San Jose mean to you?”

San Jose artist Alyssa Wigant chose to honor her biracial identity in her mural — with the left half representing her Filipino heritage and the right representing her American heritage rooted in San Jose. She told Local Color that, “though this piece has two halves, it tells one cohesive story, filled with intricacies and twists and turns–just like me.” 🎨

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THE WRAP

Editor's pick: Hey, City Editor Alyson here. 👋 I wanted to say thank you to the lovely locals who gave me more tattoo parlors to check out after our story ran on Wednesday.

Joanne B. suggested Humble Beginnings with a special shoutout to artist Jeff Quintano, who has some serious skills designing tribal tattoos.

Jodie O. called out artist Kyle Oubre with Unlimited Ink Tattoo — his portfolio is quite impressive.

Man, decisions, decisions...you all are the greatest though, thanks again. ❤️

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? We gave you the history behind the Tommie Smith + John Carlos statue at SJSU.

Today's edition by:

Alyson Chuyang

SJCtoday Team

Editorial: Nicole Calande, Trevor Peters,

Alyson Chuyang, Emily Shea

Sales: Tony Nix

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