Christmas in Mexico: Posadas

  • August 30, 2016
  • Guadalupe Ranch Horseback Riding Vacations in Mexico

Christmas in Mexico: Posadas

The Christmas season in Mexico runs from December 9 to January 6, it is quite similar to the one in Europe or United States, but with its own special twist! Market activities begins to grow in late November, with traditional markets swelling and new street markets appearing with stalls dedicated to selling gift, decorations and almost everything Christmas-related.

The first thing to know about celebrating Christmas in Mexico is that most everybody takes off the last two weeks in December - spend more time with the family, visit with old friends, even make new friends. One of the biggest fiestas of the year - in small towns, big cities, the beach resorts, everywhere - Christmas in Mexico is celebrated in a variety of ways.

From December 16 to 24 there are a series of procession and parties called Las Posadas (from the word for inn), for many children the most anticipated part of the Christmas season. The tradition was begun by Spanish evangelists to teach the Christmas story to the indigenous people and ostensibly to substitute the rituals related to the birth of the god Huitzilopochtli. Las Posadas generally serves as a way to maintain community bonds with neighborhood. In one variation, the procession arrives at a house and divides in two. One half remains outside and sings a traditional song to ask for shelter. The other sings the response from inside, and the ritual ends with everyone inside. The other variation has the procession go to three houses singing, two of which "reject" the party until the third house accepts.

The piñata started as a medium by which the Evangelists used to teach Christian beliefs to the natives. With the traditional star-shaped piñata still being broken by children during the Posadas. Like the procession, the Mexican piñata has symbolic and didactic meaning. The vessel represents Satan who has all the goods of the world, decorated to attract people. There are most traditionally seven points to represent the seven cardinal sins. The stick represents the Christian faith to defeat evil and release the treasure for all.

After piñatas there is meal which usually includes tamales, atole, buñuelos and a hot drink called ponche, which is made from seasonal fruits such as tejocote, guava, plum, mandarin orange, orange and/or prune, sweetened with piloncillo, a kind of brown sugar, and spiced with cinnamon or vanilla. For adults rum or tequila may be added. Ponche recipes vary greatly in Mexico. The Colima version usually includes milk, sugar, orange leaves, vanilla and grated coconut.

At the end of a posada, guests received a small gift called an aguinaldo, usually a package with cookies, dried and fresh fruit and candy. Then carols called villancicos are sung. A very old tradition has the song sung to the nativity scene to the newborn Child Jesus.