Las Posadas is a nine-day celebration with origins in Spain, now celebrated chiefly in Mexico and Guatemala, beginning December 16th and ending December 24th, on evenings (about 8 or 10 PM).
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Etymology
Posada is Spanish for "lodging", or "accommodation"; it is said in plural because it is celebrated more than one day in that period. The nine day novena represents the nine months of pregnancy.[1][2]
History
The procession has been a tradition in Mexico for 400 years. While its roots are in Catholicism, even Protestant Latinos follow the tradition.[1] It may have been started in 1538 by Friar San Ignació de Loyola or Friar Pedro de Gant in Mexico.[2][3] It may have been started by early friars who combined Spanish Catholicism with the December Aztec celebration of the birth of Huitzilopochtli.[2]
Reenactment
Typically, 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. Every home has a nativity scene and the hosts of the Posada act as the innkeepers. The neighborhood children and adults are the pilgrims (los peregrinos), who have to request lodging by going house to house singing a traditional song about the pilgrims. All the pilgrims carry small lit candles in their hands, and four people carry small statues of Joseph leading a donkey, on which Mary is riding.
The head of the procession will have a candle inside a paper lamp shade. At each house, the resident responds by refusing lodging (also in song), until the weary travelers reach the designated site for the party, where Mary and Joseph are finally recognized and allowed to enter. Once the "innkeepers" let them in, the group of guests come into the home and kneel around the Nativity scene to pray (typically, the Rosary). Latin American countries have continued to celebrate this holiday to this day, with very few changes to the tradition. In some places, the final location may be a church instead of a home.
Individuals may actually play the various parts of Mary (María) and Joseph with the expectant mother riding a real donkey (burro), with attendants such as angels and shepherds acquired along the way, or the pilgrims may carry images of the holy personages instead. Children may carry poinsettias.[4] The procession will be followed by musicians, with the entire procession singing posadas such as pedir posada.[2]
At the end of each night's journey, there will be Christmas carols (villancicos), children will break open star-shaped pinatas to obtain candy and fruit hidden inside, and there will be a feast.[2][5] Pinatas are traditionally made out of clay. It is expected to meet all the invitees in a previous procession.
Regional variations
In Wisconsin, the procession may occur within a home, rather than outside, because of the weather.[1]
An event in Portland, Oregon terminates with Santa Claus and donated Christmas gifts for needy children.[6]
In New York, worshippers may drink Atole, a corn-sugar drink traditional during Christmas.[7]
A large procession occurs along the San Antonio River Walk and has been held since 1966.[8][9] It is held across large landmarks in San Antonio, Texas, including the Arneson River Theater, Museo Alameda, and the Spanish Governor's Palace, ending at the Cathedral of San Fernando.[10]
References
- ^ a b c Erickson, Doug (2010-12-23). "Latinos here celebrate Christmas tradition Las Posadas, ‘festival of acceptance’". Wisconsin State Journal. http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/article_8e8434aa-0e19-11e0-a52d-001cc4c002e0.html. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Aldama, Arturo J.; Candelaria, Cordelia; Garc& iacute (2004). Encyclopedia of Latino popular culture. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-33211-8.
- ^ Guerrero-Huston, Thelma (2010-12-22). "'Las Posadas' event celebrates the Christmas story". Statesman Journal. http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20101222/COMMUNITIES/12220312/1108/NEWS. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
- ^ Pemberton, Tricia (2010-12-15). "St. Mary's students observe Las Posadas tradition". The Oklahoman. http://newsok.com/st.-marys-students-observe-las-posadas-tradition/article/3523642. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
- ^ Candia, Pablo (2010-12-20). "Las Posadas: Passing on a Hispanic tradition in Dodge City". Dodge City Daily Globe. http://www.dodgeglobe.com/news/x1882972061/Las-Posadas-Passing-on-a-Hispanic-tradition-in-Dodge-City. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
- ^ Langlois, Ed (2010-12-23). "Event mixes Christmas tradition and charity". Catholic Sentinel (Portland, Oregon). http://www.catholicsentinel.org/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=35&ArticleID=13755. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
- ^ McCaughan, Pat (2010-12-17). "Las Posadas observances adapt, recall Latin American celebration of the nativity". Episcopal News Service. http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_126248_ENG_HTM.htm. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
- ^ Fisher, Lewis F. (1996). Saving San Antonio: the precarious preservation of a heritage. Lubbock, Tex: Texas Tech University Press. ISBN 0-89672-372-0.
- ^ Hoyt, Catherine A.; Simons, Helen (1996). A guide to hispanic Texas. Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 0-292-77709-4.
- ^ Eakin, Tyra (2010-12-20). "San Antonio's River Walk offers winter wonderland". Victoria Advocate. http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2010/dec/20/03_daytrip_san_antonio_riverwalk_107643/?entertainment&local-entertainment. Retrieved 24 December 2010.
External links
- How to Celebrate a Mexican Posada: A Packet for Lay Leaders, Musicians, and Clergy
- Christmas in Mexico
- Mexico's Christmas
- Christmas in Mexico Part-1
- Christmas in Mexico Part-2
- Feliz Navidad
