Winter is a wondrous time to visit Mexico. Balmy weather aside, there are many merry reasons to consider a trip to Mexico around the Christmas season, which runs from December 12th to January 6th. Gifts are given on the 6th(the day commemorating the three kings’ visit to baby Jesus in the manger), but the real festivities are in the preceding month of processions, religious ceremonies, and family gatherings.
Posadas
Christmas celebrations kick off on December 16 with a ritual that dates back 400 years. “Posadas” represent a nine-day series of processions recreating the Holy Pilgrimage of Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus to Bethlehem.
During the processions, two people dressed as Mary and Joseph lead the way with a candle inside a paper lantern. Certain homes decorated with evergreens and paper lanterns are designated as “the inns.” One home is visited each night for eight nights. At each home, children sing a song, asking to be let in. The residents respond in song, saying there is no room at the inn. On the ninth night, the guests are finally allowed inside for prayer, followed by a party with food and sweet-filled piñatas.
There are many variations on the tradition, depending where you go. San Miguel de Allende is one of the best places in Mexico to partake in posadas, where the community incorporates live donkeys, tremendous bonfires, a Three Kings Market with over 700 vendors, nativity scene building workshops, costumes, classical music concerts, and special treats.
Decorations
Nativity scenes are put up during the Christmas season all across Mexico. Unlike the modest figurines found in people’s homes in America, most of the Mexican scenes are life-sized or encompassing entire rooms of a person’s home. These figurines are often constructed out of clay and passed down through the generations within a family.
Mexican nativity scenes are based around traditional depictions of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, and the Three Kings, but you may see a few unusual additions. Everyday Mexican people – from tortilla-makers to food vendors – are often included in the manger scenes, as well as exotic wild animals like flamingos.
Red poinsettia flowers adorn every Mexican home. Legend has it, a poor girl picked weeds to bring to Church for baby Jesus one Christmas Eve. The people in her neighborhood mocked her, but she believed that any gift given in love would be appreciated by the infant king. When she arrived at church, the “weeds” blossomed into beautiful red flowers – a true Christmas miracle!
Evergreens have become increasingly popular over the years, just as we celebrate with Christmas trees. Hand-painted ornaments make the ideal keepsake to take back home after spending Christmas in Mexico.
Nochebuena traditions
Nochebuena translates to “the Good Night” – which we call “Christmas Eve” in America. On December 24, Mexican families and friends gather for a big feast, often accompanied by music and small gifts.
Dinner may include:
- Homemade tamales or roast pork with rice and beans as a main entrée
- Bacalao a la Vizcaina, a salt cod stew
- A delicious salad made of dark leafy greens, potatoes and mole sauce called romeritos en revoltijo
- Small donuts, hot chocolate, and circular-shaped rosca de reyes fruit cakes for dessert
Mexicans customarily toast with a punch called coquito made from coconut milk, condensed milk and white rum. Another special drink the Mexicans enjoy at Christmastime is called ponche con piquete – a hot drink made from the pulp of seasonal fruits, spices like cinnamon, and alcohol like rum, brandy, or tequila. Atole is a hot, corn-based beverage flavored with vanilla beans, cinnamon and brown sugar.
The feast is followed by Misa de Gallo (“Mass of Roosters”) — the Midnight Mass, where a baby Jesus figurine is blessed and placed in the nativity scene. The religious service received its name from a legendary rooster who witnessed the birth of Jesus and made his announcement to the world.
