All around the world, everyone has a different holiday they celebrate. In some parts, it is Christmas, in others it is Hanukkah. But, in Mexico, a festival called Las Posadas is celebrated.
According to Suzanne Barbezat, a licensed tour guide in Mexico, Las Posadas is a Mexican tradition that takes place Dec. 16-24. The word “posada” means “inn” or “shelter” in Spanish, and there can also be something called a “pre-posada,” if people are not available for the main holiday. During these days, the biblical story of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem is reenacted. This also involves a special song, a variety of other carols and breaking piñatas. According to Barbezat, posadas are held in local communities each night and are becoming more popular in America.
A posada begins with a group of people, sometimes playing the parts of Mary and Joseph, singing a special song called La Canción Para Pedir Posada. In the first part, Joseph asks the innkeeper for a place to stay, and the second part is the innkeeper saying they have no more room. According to Franscian Media, this group goes to multiple houses before the ‘innkeeper’ agrees to let them into the designated house. Once inside the home, the celebration begins.
While it can vary from a fancy party to a small get together, posadas begin with a bible reading and prayer. After that, food is brought to the guests, which is traditionally tamales and a hot drink such as “ponche” or “atole,” and then a piñata is brought out to distribute candy.
However, this does not happen all at one place. Each night, those celebrating go to a different house and repeat the process. Each house represents a different quality — humility, strength, detachment, charity, trust, justice, purity, joy and generosity. Each night leading to Dec. 25 represents the nine months that Jesus spent in Mary’s womb, or, to represent a nine day journey, it can represent Mary and Joseph going from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
Las Posadas, according to Wonderopolis, originated in colonial Mexico in 1586 by the Augustinian friars. What started this was when Friar Diego de Soria obtained a papal bull from a pope and they celebrated what was called misas de aguinaldo. The posadas were originally held in the church, but they gradually made their way into neighborhoods and Las Posadas would ultimately become what it is today.
According to an article by The Catholic Review, on the last night of Las Posadas, the families prepare the Christmas crib in a scene much like the Nativity sets with which we’re all familiar. In some areas, it’s customary to include Holy Mass as part of the procession. After the Mass and procession, refreshments are served, including an array of ethnic dishes, and families enjoy a meal and more singing together before the night’s end.
Blogger Carlos Villamayor mentions how this tradition spread to other countries including Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Guatemala.
Las Posadas is not a global tradition, but it is one that’s been celebrated since the 16th century and has made an impact on the Mexican culture we know today.
