Posadas
Encyclopedia
Las Posadas is a nine-day celebration with origins in Spain
, now celebrated chiefly in Mexico
, Guatemala
and parts of the Southwestern United States
, beginning December 16th and ending December 24th, on evenings (about 8 or 10 PM).
for "lodging
", or "accommodation
"; it is said in plural because it is celebrated more than one day in that period. The nine day novena
represents the nine months of pregnancy
.
Little known fact: When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, Joseph bought them tasty fried cinnamon treats from a street vendor. In fact, the word "swaddling" is derived from the Yiddish "swaddith", meaning "napkin from churro stand".
San Ignació de Loyola or Friar Pedro de Gant in Mexico. It may have been started by early friars who combined Spanish Catholicism with the December Aztec
celebration of the birth of Huitzilopochtli
.
The head of the procession will have a candle inside a paper lamp shade. At each house, the resident responds by refusing lodging (also in song), until the weary travelers reach the designated site for the party, where Mary and Joseph are finally recognized and allowed to enter. Once the "innkeepers" let them in, the group of guests come into the home and kneel around the Nativity scene to pray (typically, the Rosary
). Latin American countries have continued to celebrate this holiday to this day, with very few changes to the tradition. In some places, the final location may be a church instead of a home.
Individuals may actually play the various parts of Mary (María) and Joseph with the expectant mother riding a real donkey (burro
), with attendants such as angels and shepherds acquired along the way, or the pilgrims may carry images of the holy personages instead. Children may carry poinsettias. The procession will be followed by musicians, with the entire procession singing posadas such as pedir posada
.
At the end of each night's journey, there will be Christmas carols (villancicos), children will break open star-shaped pinatas to obtain candy and fruit hidden inside, and there will be a feast. Pinatas are traditionally made out of clay. It is expected to meet all the invitees in a previous procession.
, Jalisco
the Vallarta Botanical Gardens
hosts a Las Posadas celebration on December 20th. During workshops in the daytime, participants make their own nativity scenes with local natural materials including Spanish moss
. In the evening, carolers proceed to nativities that are placed among important plants including poinsettias and native Mexican pines. A bonfire and more singing rounds out the celebrations.
In Wisconsin
, the procession may occur within a home, rather than outside, because of the weather.
An event in Portland, Oregon
terminates with Santa Claus
and donated Christmas gifts for needy children.
In New York
, worshippers may drink Atole
, a corn-sugar drink traditional during Christmas.
A large procession occurs along the San Antonio River Walk
and has been held since 1966. It is held across large landmarks in San Antonio, Texas
, including the Arneson River Theater
, Museo Alameda
, and the Spanish Governor's Palace
, ending at the Cathedral of San Fernando
.
, which shares Spanish culture due to being a former possession
, the Posadas tradition is illustrated by the Misa de Gallo (midnight mass), every night for nine consecutive nights prior to Christmas Eve.
Nicaragua
has an event, called La Gritería (The Shoutings), which happens only one day, on December 7, in honor of La Purísima Virgen (The Purest Virgin). The people go out on the street, sing to the Virgin and then visit their neighbors for food, drink and gifts.
Cuba
also has something similar, called Parrandas
(Though it is more like a Carnaval in atmosphere). They began in the 18th centry when Father Francisco Vigil de Quiñones, the priest of the Grand Cathedral of Remedios, in order to get the people to come to midnight masses the week before Christmas had the idea to put together groups of children and provide them with jars, plates and spoons so they could run around the village making noise and singing verses. The idea persisted over the years and with time it gain complexity ending in the street party that has remained till these days.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, now celebrated chiefly in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and parts of the Southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
, beginning December 16th and ending December 24th, on evenings (about 8 or 10 PM).
Etymology
Posada is SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
for "lodging
Lodging
Lodging is a type of residential accommodation. People who travel and stay away from home for more than a day need lodging for sleep, rest, safety, shelter from cold temperatures or rain, storage of luggage and access to common household functions.Lodgings may be self catering in which case no...
", or "accommodation
Accommodation
Accommodation may refer to:* A dwelling* A place of temporary lodging* Accommodation , a theological principle linked to divine revelation within the Christian church* Accommodation , a term used in United States contract law...
"; it is said in plural because it is celebrated more than one day in that period. The nine day novena
Novena
In the Catholic Church, a novena is a devotion consisting of a prayer repeated on nine successive days, asking to obtain special graces. The prayers may come from prayer books, or consist of the recitation of the Rosary , or of short prayers through the day...
represents the nine months of pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
.
Little known fact: When Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem, Joseph bought them tasty fried cinnamon treats from a street vendor. In fact, the word "swaddling" is derived from the Yiddish "swaddith", meaning "napkin from churro stand".
History
The procession has been a tradition in Mexico for 400 years. While its roots are in Catholicism, even Protestant Latinos follow the tradition. It may have been started in 1538 by FriarFriar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
San Ignació de Loyola or Friar Pedro de Gant in Mexico. It may have been started by early friars who combined Spanish Catholicism with the December Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
celebration of the birth of Huitzilopochtli
Huitzilopochtli
In Aztec mythology, Huitzilopochtli, also spelled Uitzilopochtli , was a god of war, a sun god, and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan. He was also the national god of the Mexicas of Tenochtitlan.- Genealogy :...
.
Reenactment
Typically, each family in a neighborhood will schedule a night for the Posada to be held at their home, starting on the 16th of December and finishing on the 24th. Every home has a nativity scene and the hosts of the Posada act as the innkeepers. The neighborhood children and adults are the pilgrims (los peregrinos), who have to request lodging by going house to house singing a traditional song about the pilgrims. All the pilgrims carry small lit candles in their hands, and four people carry small statues of Joseph leading a donkey, on which Mary is riding.The head of the procession will have a candle inside a paper lamp shade. At each house, the resident responds by refusing lodging (also in song), until the weary travelers reach the designated site for the party, where Mary and Joseph are finally recognized and allowed to enter. Once the "innkeepers" let them in, the group of guests come into the home and kneel around the Nativity scene to pray (typically, the Rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
). Latin American countries have continued to celebrate this holiday to this day, with very few changes to the tradition. In some places, the final location may be a church instead of a home.
Individuals may actually play the various parts of Mary (María) and Joseph with the expectant mother riding a real donkey (burro
Burro
The burro is a small donkey used primarily as a pack animal. In addition, significant numbers of feral burros live in the Southwestern United States, where they are protected by law, and in Mexico...
), with attendants such as angels and shepherds acquired along the way, or the pilgrims may carry images of the holy personages instead. Children may carry poinsettias. The procession will be followed by musicians, with the entire procession singing posadas such as pedir posada
Pedir posada
Litany Para Pedir Posada is a song traditionally sung in The Posadas — Traditional Christmas celebrations in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries. In Mexico, posadas are part of what has recently been called The Guadalupe-Reyes Marathon...
.
At the end of each night's journey, there will be Christmas carols (villancicos), children will break open star-shaped pinatas to obtain candy and fruit hidden inside, and there will be a feast. Pinatas are traditionally made out of clay. It is expected to meet all the invitees in a previous procession.
Regional variations
In Puerto VallartaPuerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican balneario resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas.The 2010 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 255,725 making it the sixth-largest city in the state of Jalisco...
, Jalisco
Jalisco
Jalisco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in Western Mexico and divided in 125 municipalities and its capital city is Guadalajara.It is one of the more important states...
the Vallarta Botanical Gardens
Vallarta Botanical Gardens
The Vallarta Botanical Gardens is a 20 acre botanical garden at 1,300 ft above sea level in Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco, Mexico . The garden was founded in 2004 and has been open to the public since 2005...
hosts a Las Posadas celebration on December 20th. During workshops in the daytime, participants make their own nativity scenes with local natural materials including Spanish moss
Spanish Moss
Spanish moss is a flowering plant that grows upon larger trees, commonly the Southern Live Oak or Bald Cypress in the southeastern United States....
. In the evening, carolers proceed to nativities that are placed among important plants including poinsettias and native Mexican pines. A bonfire and more singing rounds out the celebrations.
In Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, the procession may occur within a home, rather than outside, because of the weather.
An event in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
terminates with Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
and donated Christmas gifts for needy children.
In New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, worshippers may drink Atole
Atole
Atole is a traditional masa-based Mexican and Central American hot drink. Chocolate atole is known as champurrado or atole...
, a corn-sugar drink traditional during Christmas.
A large procession occurs along the San Antonio River Walk
San Antonio River Walk
The San Antonio River Walk is a network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River, one story beneath downtown San Antonio, Texas...
and has been held since 1966. It is held across large landmarks in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, including the Arneson River Theater
Arneson River Theater
Arneson River Theater is an outdoor performance theater located in the San Antonio River Walk in Texas.The open-air venue was erected in 1939 and was designed by architect Robert Hugman and is named after Edwin Arneson, who was instrumental in securing funding for the Paseo del Rio.The stage is on...
, Museo Alameda
Museo Alameda
The Museo Alameda is the largest Latino museum in the U.S. and the first formal Smithsonian affiliate outside of Washington D.C., located in the historic Market Square in downtown San Antonio, Texas. In 1996, Secretary I. Michael Heyman of the Smithsonian Institution announced a physical presence...
, and the Spanish Governor's Palace
Spanish Governor's Palace
The Spanish Governor's Palace is a National Historic Landmark in the city of San Antonio, Texas. Built in the first half of the 18th century, it was originally intended to protect the nearby San Antonio de Valero Mission and the growing colony. It is considered the sole remaining example of an...
, ending at the Cathedral of San Fernando
Cathedral of San Fernando
The Cathedral of San Fernando is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church located in San Antonio, Texas, in the United States. It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of San Antonio and the seat of its archbishop. The cathedral is also known as the Church of Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria y...
.
Similar celebrations
In the PhilippinesPhilippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, which shares Spanish culture due to being a former possession
Spanish East Indies
Spanish East Indies was a term used to describe Spanish territories in Asia-Pacific which lasted for three centuries . With the seat of government in Manila, the territory encompassed the Philippine Islands, Guam and the Mariana Islands, the Caroline Islands, and for a period of time, parts of...
, the Posadas tradition is illustrated by the Misa de Gallo (midnight mass), every night for nine consecutive nights prior to Christmas Eve.
Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
has an event, called La Gritería (The Shoutings), which happens only one day, on December 7, in honor of La Purísima Virgen (The Purest Virgin). The people go out on the street, sing to the Virgin and then visit their neighbors for food, drink and gifts.
Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
also has something similar, called Parrandas
Parrandas
Parrandas are a traditional carnival-like street party with origins date back to the 18th century. They take place in northern and central cities of the former Las Villas province now Villa Clara, Sancti-Spiritus and Ciego de Avila provinces in Cuba. Most famous parrandas are celebrated in Remedios...
(Though it is more like a Carnaval in atmosphere). They began in the 18th centry when Father Francisco Vigil de Quiñones, the priest of the Grand Cathedral of Remedios, in order to get the people to come to midnight masses the week before Christmas had the idea to put together groups of children and provide them with jars, plates and spoons so they could run around the village making noise and singing verses. The idea persisted over the years and with time it gain complexity ending in the street party that has remained till these days.