Saturday, December 10, 2011

The Mexican Tradition of the Posada

Christmas for Mexicans, in traditional homes and rural areas, is a religious holiday.

It is a celebration of the Nativity of Jesus Christ. In order to prepare for the day of symbolic commemoration, we have the "Posadas". These celebrations are a "Novena" or nine days before the 24 which is the "Noche Buena" or "Holy Night". However, my 7th semester students came to our home yesterday and planned a pre-Posada celebration.

These Posadas are an enactment of looking for lodging of Joseph and Mary, going to Bethlehem for the Census according to the Scriptures. Each family in a neighborhood, will schedule a night for the Posada to be held at their home, starting on the 16th of December and finishing on the 24th on Noche Buena. In our case, we decided to do it yesterday, December 9th.

Every home will have a Nativity scene. The hosts of the home (Charlotte and I) are the innkeepers, and my students were Los Peregrinos, who have to request lodging through a simple song. All carry small lit candles in their hands and four teenagers of about the same height are chosen to carry Los Peregrinos, which are two small statues of Joseph leading a donkey, which Mary is riding sidesaddle (We didn't have this in ours). The head of the procession will have a candle inside of a paper lamp shade that looks like an accordion but open at the top and it is called a "Farolito" or little lantern.

The Peregrinos will ask for lodging in three different houses but only the third one will allow them in. That will be the house that is supposed to have the Posada for that evening. !

After all the prayer is done, then it comes the party for the children. There will be a pinata (pronounce Pignata, for it has an ñ instead of an n), filled with peanuts in the shell, oranges, tangerines, sugar canes, and seldom wrapped hard candy. Of course, there will be other types of chants the children will sing while the child in turn is trying to break the Piñata with a stick while he/she will be blindfolded.

Although the Piñata was originally from Italy, it has become a Mexican tradition for celebrations where there are children involved. The Piñata was made out of a clay pot and decorated with crepe paper in different colors. Today's piñatas are made out of cardboard and paper mache techniques and decorated with crepe paper. This change was made to prevent the children from cutting their hands when going for the fruit and candy when the Piñata was broken and the clay piece would become a hazard. They have all kinds of designs besides the traditional star.

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