Las Posadas

La Navidad, or Christmas is an elaborate preparation in Mexico as well as other Latin American countries. The holiday spirit is less about material things and more about family with religion playing a central role. It is an extraordinarily festive time of the year.

Mexico begins to celebrate la Navidad nine days before Nochebuena (Christmas Eve), with traditional parties known as Las Posadas, which means “the lodgings” in Spanish. Each night from December 16th to December 24th, Mexican families re-enact the pilgrimage of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph to Bethlehem. Three young children dress up as an angel, Mary and Joseph, and lead the traditional door-to-door procession to the neighboring posadas (houses). They are followed by other children who are also dressed in handmade costumes of angeles (angels) and pastores y pastoras (shepherds and shepherdesses). Families and people invited to the party are situated at the back of the group playing the role of peregrinos (pilgrims). Everyone moves in the slow-paced procession carrying candles placed inside a multicolored paper cone, which represents farolitos (little lanterns), except for the children, who carry figurines of Mary and Joseph.

The procession journeys to 3 designated posadas where the pilgrims sing their request for shelter to the first 2 posada owners. The owners sing back their rejection and “refuse” to offer lodging. The journey continues until the procession reaches the third posada, the one in charge of safe keeping the nacimiento (nativity display) for the night. This last posada “welcomes” the pilgrims to stay. This marks the end of the night’s procession and the beginning of a party.

The Piñata

The nightly posada party often includes drinking hot chocolate, singing traditional villancicos (Christmas carols), dancing, setting off luces de bengala (fireworks) and a star-shaped piñata. An anticipated event for  the children, Christmas would not be Christmas without the enthusiastic smashing of a piñata: a soft cardboard sculpture, decorated with strips of colorful paper-mâchè. The children take turns in getting a stick to hit the piñata after being blindfolded and spun in circles. When the piñata breaks, it releases a shower of fruits, nuts, candy and small gifts.


Poinsettias

The main Christmas celebration is a traditional family dinner on Christmas Eve, followed by everyone attending La Misa del Gallo (Rooster’s mass or Midnight mass)  to enjoy Las Pastorelas, small plays performed that tell the story of the shepherds’ journey to visit baby Jesus in the manger. Mexicans also use the poinsettia, a bright red and green flower, to decorate their nacimientos and churches on Christmas Eve, as a sign of the miracle birth of Jesus. The poinsettia is a native flower of Mexico and because it blooms during the Christmas season, Mexicans call it Flor de Nochebuena, which literally means “Christmas Eve flower”.


Three King’s Day

On the night, of January 5, the figurines of the Three Wise Men are added to the nativity display, a miniature reproduction of the stable and manger where Jesus was born. Mexican children awake on the morning of January 6, Dia de los Reyes, to find toys and other presents brought by the three kings during the night. These gifts represent the gold, frankincense and myrrh offered to baby Jesus. Children and adults celebrate the day with traditional ring-shaped sweet bread known as Rosca los Reyes. Mexican tradition has it that whoever finds the hidden ceramic figurine in their slice of the rosca, must host a party for everyone on February 2 in celebration of Candelaria – the day the Nativity display is stored away until the following Christmas.


Excited to spend Christmas in Mexico?

 Find out more about our Mexico destinations!
 Request our free brochure!