Las Posadas: The festival that celebrates the journey of Christ’s parents
If you have your Christmas holiday planned in Mexico, or any other Latin American country for that matter this year, you are likely to come across a procession of kids dressed up as Joseph or Mother Mary, marching across their localities, asking people to welcome them home. While almost all the families refuse, one agrees at the end and festivities begin. Wondering what this is all about? Well, this ritual is the tradition of a festival known as Las Posadas celebrated from 16th December to 24th December every year in Mexico and other Latin American countries, such as Guatemala and Puerto Rico. As part of this festival, all the events preceding the birth of Jesus are enacted. But wait, what does Las Podas stand for? Literally translated from Spanish, the word “las” means “the” and “posadas” means “accommodations” or “lodging.” Interesting, isn’t it? Here, we guide you through the curious customs and origin story of Las Posadas.
Las Posadas: Customs & rituals
Looks like, kids are at the centre of actions of the Las Posadas festival. They dress up as Joseph, Mary, angels, shepherds and Three Wise Men (Remember how they came and blessed baby Jesus, right after his birth?) and march across their neighbourhoods, all the while leading on a chosen ‘Holy Family’ and other townsmen. The custom is simple. The bunch of kids participating in this festival stop at each door singing songs and asking for lodging, and the members turn them away, until a one family allows the whole party to enter eventually. This is when the festivities commence. So, what happens when the kids enter the household of the Holy Family? They are greeted with a feast, music and fireworks. Children also get to break star-shaped piñatas filled with candies and toys (symbolising end of evil, sins and negativity). A special drink called ‘ponche’ is an integral part of this custom. Offered as a refreshment to the tired group, ponche is made up of sugar, cinnamon, and seasonal fruits such as oranges and guavas. Other food-related traditions of Las Posadas include eating ‘romeritos’ or baked shrimp, ‘bacalao’ or dried cod fish, and a dessert called ‘bunuelo.’
Interestingly, this entire tradition continues each evening for a nine-day duration and celebrates nine months of Nother Mary’s pregnancy. This festival concludes with a Midnight mass on Christmas Eve where everyone gathers for a service of worship in the honour of Jesus Christ. Many believe that this is the time to reflect upon the true meaning of Christmas. Back at home, children sing Christmas carols and ask the elders for lodging. This is a wonderful ritual indeed!
The origin story
Las Podas celebrates the nine-day biblical journey of Jesus Christ’s parents, Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem. As the story (often called the Nativity story) goes, they were on their way to give birth to baby Jesus, and were looking for a safe shelter. However, most innkeepers kept turning them down, until one came forward to take them in, and gave them a place in his stable. Legends have it that this is where, Christ was born.
Now, in the 16th century, Catholic Missionaries carried this legend from Spain to Mexico. In the year 1586, a friar near Mexico City named Diego de Soria, decided to commemorate this journey. As a result, he had organised special Catholic Masses each night for nine days, ahead of Christmas. Since then, Las Posadas has been observed to prepare Latin Americans for Christmas and been an integral part of the Hispanic culture.