Posadas (Dec. 15-23)
Las Posadas (which means “The Inns”) is a typical Latin American tradition in preparation for Christmas. Las Posadas commemorates Joseph and Mary’s journey to Bethlehem and search for an inn as they prepared for the birth of Jesus.
There are different variations on this tradition, here is our twist: Every night for 9 nights, one boy dresses as Joseph and one girl dresses as the expectant Mary. Everyone else processes from house to house behind them singing hymns (or at least attempting). At each house a song (from the perspective of Joseph and the innkeepers) is sung back and forth between the anxious crowd outside and those behind the conspicuously closed door. At the first few houses the Holy Family is refused entry due to a lack of space (whose idea was it to have everybody and their brother come back to their hometown just to participate in a census?...and that actually worked?). The procession passes on crestfallen until finally the pilgrims are allowed into the home, and you know the rest of the story from there.
Well, each night there is a reflection of a theme. For us the theme centered around one of the symbols of Christmas from the star to the donkey to gifts to…of course…Santa Claus! Due to my naturally jolly demeanor and little round belly that shakes when I laugh like a bowl full of jelly, I was an obvious choice for the role of ol’ St. Nick.
As Santa…
And as St. Nicholas.
The final night of Posadas took place at our house with the Nativity story.
