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¿Qué Pasa en México Durante Navidad?: What Goes on in México at Christmas
Time?
Mexicans celebrate Christmas with as much enthusiasm as we do in the United
States with family and friends over traditional feasts, celebratory drinks and
all night parties. But with its distinct history Mexico also has many unique
traditions and a generally stronger recognition of the season’s religious roots.
To help appreciate Mexican traditions Iowan Judy King, now resident in Lake
Chapala, Mexico, explains some of the more fascinating traditions.
Nacimientos (Nativity Scenes)
 Saint
Francis of Assisi in Italy displayed the first nacimiento or nativity scene in
1223. He recreated the ancient scene in a real stable, using barnyard animals
and local persons.
Some of the first Mexican monks were taught by the Spanish to carve nativity
figures. As with most religious customs in this country, traditional folklore
has crept into some of the figures. A fascinating Sunday or Thursday excursion
during late November and December is to the Tonala market which features dozens
of stalls which sell nothing but supplies, bits and pieces for nacimientos.
Nacimientos have traditionally been the main decorations in local homes,
businesses and churches, and what tributes they are. Using moss, sawdust, sand,
and painted paper, multi-tiered bases are created to resemble hills, deserts,
rivers and lakes. Whole villages appear on tabletops, and more characters and
scenes are added each year Dozens of figures are lovingly arranged around
December 14th, and kept on display until February 2.
There are often purely Mexican traditions and twists in the nacimientos, like
the rooster who crowed to announce the birth of the child, fish in the river
(from the lovely Mexican carol of the same name—Los Peces en el Rio), Lucifer
lurking in his cave to tempt the shepherds from their journey, the Egyptians
camping with their tents and pyramids. These are representations of complete
villages, with wells, vendors with carts of fruits and vegetables, playing
children, musicians, dancers, mutton and pork roasting on spits, even women
making tortillas.
Foreigners are frequently confused when confronted by nativity scenes and other
Christmas decorations all through January, and even into February. Even more
puzzling to newcomers are 4 inch figures of Mary and Joseph, and a nearly life
size Christ child. But there is tradition to explain this, too. On January 6,
during the fiesta to honor the arrival of the Three Kings at the manger, a
special ring-shaped bread called the “Rosca” will be served. Baked into the
bread are one or more small plastic figures of the Child God. The guests who
find these images in their serving of bread are named the Godparents of the
Christ Child from the Nacimiento. It is then their responsibility to host a
party on February 2, El Día de Candlelaria or the Day of Purification, the final
celebration of a Christmas holiday, which began on December 3 with the beginning
of nine-day celebration of The Virgin of Guadalupe.
At the time of the birth of the Christ Child, Jewish tradition and law forbade
women access to the Temple for 40 days after the birth of a child. Mary and
Joseph would have presented the Baby Jesus, the Child God in the Temple then on
February 2. In many villages, the Child from the Nativity scene is dressed in a
long white gown and bonnet, placed on a small chair and taken to the church to
be blessed on February 2. In the newer church in Chapala, this custom is still
practiced with tiny clothing and shoes and accessories available at the church.
Nacimientos are especially important in Guadalajara, due to the artistic
influence of Tlaquepaque, where many figures are made and a competition of
creches is held each year.
Las Posadas (The Processions)
 Las
Posadas are a series of nine charming children’s processions which are uniquely,
genuinely and exclusively Mexican, seemingly invented by the early Spanish
missionaries solely to comfort and convert the former Aztecs.
The tradition of the nine days of processions (Posadas) began soon after the
arrival of the Spaniards in Mexico. Clever San Ignacio de Loyola created the
custom to teach the story of the birth of Jesus and more importantly to coincide
with the nine day Fiestas of the Sun, which celebrated the virgin birth of the
Aztec Sun god, Huitzilopchtli, from the 16th through the 24th of December.
Special permission was received from Rome to celebrate nine “Christmas Masses”
to represent the nine months of Mary’s pregnancy.
Children in the villages here at Lake Chapala, will set out each evening from
the church for a pilgrimage to a different neighborhood. This procession
symbolizes the journey made by Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem and
Joseph’s search for shelter (Posada) at an Inn (also Posada). The peregrinos
(pilgrims) include Joseph leading Mary on a burro, an Angel, shepherds, kings,
and a large flock of excited, giggling, jostling, bumping, wiggling, shiny-eyed
others, most with bright ribbon and flower decked shepherds’ staffs which they
tap in time to the music.
The verses of the traditional Posada song are exchanged back and forth between
Joseph and the group outside each house and the Innkeeper and the group inside.
At each location, Joseph asks for entry, until finally at a prearranged
location, the Innkeeper and friends sing from inside the shelter (house):
“Enter holy pilgrims, receive this humble corner, that while we know it is a
poor lodging, it is given as the gift of heart.”
And the party begins, with joyous music, piñatas, with candy, fruit, and treats
for everyone. Like the fiestas held by the ancients to honor Huitzilopochtli,
the Mexican Posadas are full of the deepest of feeling—laughter mixed with deep
spirituality, combined with the Mexican’s thirst for diversion from the daily
sameness of survival. This is truly a merrily religious celebration, and for
most of the children, far more anticipated than Christmas itself.
Christmas Eve (La Noche Buena) and Christmas (Navidad)
Just six years after arrival of the Spaniards in Mexico, Father Pedro de Gante
began the celebration of Christmas with the “Misa de Gallo” (The mass of the
rooster). Held at midnight; the mass quickly became very popular with the
newly-converted Indians.
To sustain the newly converted Indian Catholics with the comfort and continuity
of the more familiar fiestas for the God of the Sun Huitzilopochtli, Father
Diego de Soria and other priests added the familiar skyrockets (cohetes,)
torches, sparklers (Luces de Bengala), the Pastorelas, the arrival of the
Posadas from the various neighborhoods, displays of live nacimientos, piñatas,
ponche (Christmas punch with a fruit base) groups of Indian dancers, tamales,
and more to the Christmas celebration.
Christmas Eve in Ajijic and Chapala will be much the same. More than 750 years
after St. Francis of Assisi’s first nacimiento, the patio of the main church of
San Andres and in the plaza in Chapala will be filled with live nativities
representing countries around the world, and areas of Mexico. Mary, Joseph, the
baby, an angel and two shepherds will be dressed to reflect each region, as will
a few well placed props. Expect to see wooden shoes and tulips, cotton snow on
bushes with an igloo, Aztecs and other Indians, or “Africans” with wild animals.
Each creche features a live cooing baby in the manger.
During the evening, the last Posada will arrive at the Church, to visit each
manger. A group of local residents will honor the babe with traditional Indian
dances while musicians play their gift and Mexicans and Anglos exchange
greetings of Feliz Navidad/ Merry Christmas, with hugs/ abrazos, and feel the
spirit of love and peace.. Be prepared to smile throughout the night as sounds
of the Mexican community’s celebrations continue with music and joy.
Christmas Day (Navidad) is an unearthly quiet day, as families sleep and recover
after all-night festivities. Foreigners quietly make their rounds on empty
streets, to visit friends and enjoy feasts.
La Flor de la Nochebuena
Few realize when they give and receive Poinsettias each holiday season that
Mexico gave the world this special holiday floral tribute.
Of the many names for this flower, the most beautiful is La Flor de la
Nochebuena, (The Flower of the Holy Night). The ancients knew this plant as
Cuetlaxochitl, which means “the flower of leather petals”. The ancients
considered all flowers to be divine gifts of the Gods, not only because of their
wonderful beauty, scent and color, but they were also believed to be metaphors
of the most beautiful feelings. This star-shaped, red, winter-flowering plant
was a special favorite long before the arrival of Columbus.
The Nochebuena was considered by the Aztecs to be a symbol of the new life
earned by the warriors who died in battle. As hummingbirds and butterflies,
these warriors would return to earth to sip the nectar of the Poinsettia.
El Día De los Inocentes (Day of the Innocents)
It might be more accurate to refer to December 28 as December Fool’s Day, as on
this day it is said that you can borrow something and never return it, and the
day abounds with jokes and requests and fantastic stories, to convince the naive
of lending almost everything.
It is believed the custom originally recalls King Herod’s instructions to kill
all the newborn children in order to destroy the infant child god. It is typical
of Mexico and Mexicans to laugh in the face of tragedy, to challenge the fears
that intimidate.
In Victorian times, friends would send one another elaborate notes detailing
some great tragedy or horrible problem requiring them to borrow sums of money,
tools, or household items, much like an April Fool’s prank. When the friend,
forgetting the day would respond, the prank player sent a gift of sweets or
miniature toys in memory of the Innocents lost to Herod with a note saying
“Innocent little dove who allowed yourself to be deceived, knowing that on this
day, nothing should be lent.”
El Año Viejo y Año Nuevo (New Year’s Eve)
What would a celebration be without music, dancing, skyrockets, and fireworks?
Not a celebration in Mexico! The New Year is ushered in with an abundance of
noise, of wonderful fireworks and hundreds of skyrockets.
One may encounter a bit of a problem driving about the village, as logs or cars
block off sections of streets where neighbors, friends and families celebrate in
the street with huge bonfires, music, food and dancing. These parties may well
last till dawn. One charming tradition is that one should eat twelve grapes, one
with each stroke of the chiming bell, for luck in the coming 12 months. New
Year’s Day is just a quiet and empty, and unearthly on the streets of the
villages as Christmas Day as the Mexicans recover from the parties of the night
before.
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