Hispanic Christmas Celebrations
La Virgen de Guadalupe    Nacimientos    Los Posadas     Luminarias      Piñatas       Pastoreles    La Noche Buena/Navidad
La Flor de la Nochebuena      Dia de Inocentes      Ano Viejo
 

LA VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE
On December 3, the nine day celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe (the Patrona of Mexico, the Queen of the Americas) begins, commemorating one day for each month of carrying the Christ Child in her womb with processions and pilgrimages. On December 12, this celebration ends with the Feast of Our Lady Of Guadalupe.

Before the Spanish arrived in Mexico, the Aztecs had built a temple to Tontanslin, one of their most revered and powerful goddesses, on a hill northwest of what is now Mexico City, then known as Tepeyac. In the 1521 the Aztec empire fell under Spanish rule. In 1531 a "Lady from Heaven" appeared to a Native American and requested that he ask the local Bishop to build a church for her, as the Mother of Mexico, on the hill. The Native American took the message to the Bishop who requested that she give some kind of a sign. She sent the Native American back tot he top of the hill in med-December (December 12) to gather roses for the Bishop. As the Native American now known as Juan Diego gathered the roses, an aura of sun rays surrounded the Virgin and she left an imprint of herself on his "tilma", a kind of pancho or cloak. The Sunrays marked her as an ambassador from the sun, the highest of all Aztec gods.

NACIMIENTOS

In 1223 Saint Francis of Assissi recreated the nativity scene in a real stable, using real animals and local people, in Italy. Thus began the tradition of living nativities and Nacimientos. The Spanish taught the first Mexican monks to carve nativity figures. In this process, some of the local folklore crept into some of the figures. Using whatever they had available, the people created hills, deserts, rivers, lakes, and villages on tabletops, with characters to represent the Nativity. According to legend, a rooster crowed to announce the birth of the child, so you may find a Rooster within the scene. (This may have led to the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass known as La Misa del Gallo--the Mass of the Rooster.) You may also see Lucifer lurking in a cave trying to tempt the shepherds from their journey; Egyptians camping with their tents; pyramids; women making tortillas, children playing, and vendors with carts of fruits and vegetables.  The Nacimientos are kept on display until February 2.

Jewish tradition at the time of the birth of Christ did not allow women to access the Temple for forty days after the birth of a child, therefore Joseph and Mary would have presented Jesus to the Temple on February 2.

LAS POSADAS

Las Posadas are processions reenacting Mary and Joseph's quest for a place to stay in Bethlehem. They begin nine days before Christmas to reenact the original journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem which took nine days. Friends and relatives divide into two groups, one being innkeepers and the other being pilgrims. The pilgrims go from house to house asking the innkeepers for shelter. They are turned down until they find the house where the Nativity Scene is set up. At that house, they are welcomed and a traditional prayer is said and the party begins. Refreshments are served and the children take turns trying to break open the piñata.

Las Posadas are exclusively Mexican, and thought to have been invented by the early Spanish missionaries (San Ignacio de Loyola created the custom to teach the story of the birth) in an effort to convert the Aztecs by combining the Fiestas of the Sun Aztec celebration (celebration of the virgin birth of the Aztec Sun god from the 16 to the 24th of December) with their Christmas celebration. Special permission was received from Rome to celebrate nine “Christmas Masses” to represent the nine months of Mary’s pregnancy.

FAROLITOS/LUMINARIAS

Traditionally, luminarias are small fires lit outside a home to help light the way for the Christ Child to the homes in the village. Farolitos, Spanish for small lantern, has over time, become interchangeable with luminarias referring to the tradition of putting a small votive candle set in sand in a small decorated paper bag. In parts of Mexico and in New Mexico, driveways, walkways and businesses and lined with these festive bags.

PIÑATAS

Even though the Piñata comes from China, it has become a traditional party favorite associated with Mexico. The Piñata made it's way over the trade routes from China to Italy, then to Spain and then to the New World by the missionaries.

The Piñata has a decorated clay pot in the center the represents Satan. The decoration on the outside of the Piñata is meant to attract humanity as Satan does. A traditional Piñata is round with seven points, each point having streamers. The points represent the seven deadly sins. When a child takes a turn at breaking the Piñata, they are blindfolded to represent the blind faith needed to overcome evil. Once the Piñata is broken and all the goodies and sweets shower the participant, it represents the triumph of good over evil and the subsequent rewards given to the good and faithful.

PASTORELAS

In another effort to merge the Aztec beliefs with the Spanish missionaries' Christianity, the missionaries used outdoor plays to teach Christian legends and ideals. This gave rise to the Pastorelas, the story of the birth of the Christ Child.

The actors in this play can improvise and the audience participates with jokes, jeers, taunts, songs, slang, bawdy humor, tequila and more. The story of the simple country shepherds traveling to visit Jesus in the manger, produces encounters with Satan (Lucifer) and his many attractive devices. It is a battle of good and evil between Lucifer and Archangel Gabriel.

CHRISTMAS EVE ( LA NOCHE BUENA) and CHRISTMAS (NAVIDAD)

Father Pedro de Gante, after the arrival of the Spaniards in Mexico, started the Misa de Gallo, the mass of the rooster, held at midnight on Christmas Eve. In order to appease the newly and partially converted Aztec, the Spanish priests eventually incorporated skyrocketed, torches, sparklers, fruit punch and groups of Indian dancers, and tamales into the Christmas celebrations.

LA FLOR DE LA NOCHEBUENA

The flower of the holy night, the Cuetlaxochitl (the flower of leather petals), the poinsettia is native to Mexico. The Aztecs believed all flowers were gifts from the gods and were metaphors for loving feelings. The poinsettia, with it's star shape and ability to bloom in winter was a special favorite and considered a symbol of new life earned by warriors who died in battle. The warriors would return to earth as hummingbirds and butterflies to sip the sweet nectar of this flower.

In the 17th century the Mexican Franciscans included the flower in the Christmas celebrations. The flower is connected to a legend that has a little boy named Pablo walking to the church in his village to visit the Nativity scene. He had nothing to offer the Christ Child, so he scooped up some green branches he saw growing on the roadside. Even though the other children teased him, he laid them at the manger. A brilliant red star-shaped flower appeared on each branch.

DIA DE INOCENTES (Day of the Innocents)

Stemming from the bible story that had King Herod ordering his soldiers to seek out and kill all newborn children in an effort to destroy the infant child god, December 28 is a day where it is said you can borrow something and never return it. The jokes, requests and exaggerated stories used to convince the naive of lending even their most prized possessions are very humorous. In Victorian times friends sent each other notes outlining a great tragedy or problem that required them to ask for money, tools or a household item. If the friend, forgetting the day, assisted them--they would receive a gift of sweets or small toys in memory of the Innocents lost to King Herod--with a note saying “Innocent little dove who allowed yourself to be deceived, knowing that on this day, nothing should be lent.”

NEW YEAR’S EVE ( ANO VIEJO Y ANO NUEVA)

New Year's Eve is a celebration with music, dancing, skyrockets and fireworks. Neighborhoods become block parties with huge bonfires, music, food and dancing that lasts until dawn. It is said, for good luck each month of the coming year, one should eat a grape at the stroke of each chiming bell at each new hour.