Christmas in Mexico
Christmas in Mexico, known as la Navidad, is a vibrant celebration that spans from December 16 to January 6, with a final observance on February 2. This festive period integrates Spanish, Mexican, and Native American traditions, stemming from the first Christmas celebration in the 1500s, shortly after the Spanish conquest. Central to the festivities are the posadas, a series of nightly processions that reenact Mary and Joseph's search for shelter in Bethlehem, culminating on Christmas Eve with special prayers, meals, and the placement of baby Jesus in nativity scenes.
Families often incorporate piñatas, colorful vessels filled with treats, into their celebrations—an Old World tradition that has evolved over time. Christmas Day typically includes church attendance, followed by a festive dinner featuring traditional foods like oxtail soup and ponche con piquete, an alcoholic punch. While Santa Claus has become a popular figure in modern celebrations, the main gift-giving event occurs on January 6, known as Three Kings Day, where children receive presents and families gather for a special meal. The Christmas season concludes with Candlemas on February 2, a day dedicated to tamales and the symbolic passing of hosting duties for future gatherings.
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Christmas in Mexico
Christmas in Mexico¸ called la Navidad (the nativity), is celebrated from December 16 to January 6 with one last observance on February 2. The holiday blends Spanish and Mexican traditions with Native American customs. The first Christmas celebration was held in the 1500s after the Spanish conquistadores claimed Mexico for Spanish rule. Many of the traditions established in these times continue into the modern day.
Background
The Spanish conquistadores conquered Mexico for the Spanish in the early 1500s. They brought Catholic missionaries to the new lands to convert the native people. The missionaries learned that one of these groups, the Aztecs, celebrated a holiday at the end of December, near the same time the Christians celebrate Christmas.
The Aztecs held this celebration in honor of the birth of Huitzilopochtli, the god of war. Their celebration began at midnight and continued into the next day. It included dancing, singing, and speeches. People dressed in their finest clothing and prepared special food. They also burned fires that could be seen for miles and honored the god with human sacrifices.
During their efforts to convert the natives, the Catholic missionaries realized that they could convince the Aztecs to substitute celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ for the birth of Huitzilopochtli. They wanted to replace the bloody sacrifices to Huitzilopochtli with Christian beliefs. The first Mexican Christmas celebration was held in 1538. Missionary Fray Pedro de Gante invited the native tribes throughout Mexico to attend the celebration. Many native people participated and joined the festivities. They eventually adopted the new traditions and blended them with elements of their own for future Christmas celebrations.
Many of the Mexican traditions held during the Christmas celebrations evolved from the missionaries' teachings of Christian customs to the Native Americans. For example, during the Christmas celebrations, individuals take part in plays known pastorelas in which people act out obstacles that hinder the journey of the shepherds and others on their way to visit baby Jesus. These were developed by the missionaries to teach the natives the stories of the Bible. Over the years, the pastorelas changed to become comedic performances.
Overview
The posadas are a series of nine nightly processions that are held to reenact the journey that Joseph and Mary took to Bethlehem in search of a place to stay. The processions commence on December 16 and end on December 24. During the first eight nights of the posada, which means "inn," two children carry statues of Mary and Joseph and lead the candle-lit procession. The participants travel from house to house and sing as they search for shelter for Mary and Joseph.
Each night, the "innkeepers" tell participants that they have no room. They plead for a place to stay, and the innkeepers eventually relent and allow the participants into their homes. Then the people pray and share a meal. The celebration that follows usually lasts until the next morning. During this party, the children are treated to a piñata, a brightly colored papier-mâché vessel that is filled with candy and small gifts. It is usually shaped to look like an animal, a star, or other object. The piñata is hung, and blindfolded children take turns trying to break it open by hitting it with a stick. The missionaries introduced piñatas to the natives, but these piñatas had seven symbols on them that represented the seven deadly sins. The natives had to hit the symbols to break the piñatas.
The posada processions are repeated the next seven evenings and end at different locations with more celebrations. On the last night, Buena Noche (Christmas Eve), the children carry a figurine or an image of baby Jesus and place it in the nacimiento (nativity scene) prior to a mass at church. Afterward, firework displays are held, and people go home to set up their own nacimientos. However, some families set up their nacimientos as early as December 16 and add baby Jesus on this night. The scenes range from simple to elaborate and can be set up outside or indoors. Some Mexican families also decorate Christmas trees.
The families eat a special dinner and then sing villancicos, or Christmas carols. Some are original songs such as "Feliz Navidad," while others are Spanish renditions of traditional religious carols such as "Silent Night" ("Noche de Paz"). They then go to sleep and wait for the arrival of Santa Claus, who brings gifts for the children overnight when they are asleep. Santa Claus was not always part of the Mexican Christmas tradition but has become more common in modern times.
On Christmas Day, families attend church and then go home to eat a special dinner together. Some of the traditional foods consumed during the holiday include oxtail soup, chili, turkey, stuffing, guacamole, burritos, salsa, cookies, and an alcoholic-spiked punch known as ponche con piquete. People then spend the rest of the day relaxing.
While some celebrate Santa Claus as the gift bearer on Christmas Day, most gift-gifting is celebrated on January 6 (Three Kings Day or Día de Reyes) to commemorate the Three Kings bringing gifts to Jesus. On the eve of January 5, children leave their shoes on the windowsills for them to be filled with gifts overnight. The following day, the children open their presents, and the family celebrates with dinner. After dinner, Mexican hot chocolate flavored with spices, such as cinnamon, is served along with ring-shaped sweet bread. The bread contains a figurine of a baby, and whoever gets the baby in their slice must host a tamale dinner on February 2, also known as Candlemas or Día de la Candelaria. A tamale is a meat filling wrapped in masa (corn dough) and then steamed in a corn husk. Candlemas officially marks the end of Christmas in Mexico.
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