The inns

Las Posadas are popular festivals that have also spread beyond Mexico: in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama, during the nine days before Christmas, it is say, from December 16 to 24. These festivities remind people of the pilgrimage of Mary and Joseph from their departure from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where they look for a place to stay and await the birth of baby Jesus.

A series of non-religious traditions and celebrations are usually added to this novena. In Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador the Novena de Aguinaldos is celebrated, a very similar religious festival.

Origin

The first celebrations were intended to replace the Aztec festivities; In {pre-Hispanic Mexico they celebrated the advent of Huitzilopochtli (God of War) during the winter season. These celebrations were called Panquetzaliztli and lasted from December 6 to 26. The dates had a certain coincidence with those in which the Europeans celebrated Christmas, thus, this celebration was changing due to the evangelization that took place in New Spain. The image of Huitzilopochtli was replaced by that of María and José.

Las Posadas with Catholic symbolism were created from the first evangelizers: the Augustinian friar Diego Soria obtained indulgences from Pope Sixtus V for carrying out the nine Christmas bonus masses on the days before Christmas.

In the 18th century, the celebration, although it did not stop taking place in churches, began to gain more strength in neighborhoods and in homes, and religious music was replaced by popular singing.

The evangelizing friars, to facilitate the conversion of the conquered, made representations of the pilgrimage of Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary as they left Nazareth on their way to Bethlehem to register in the census ordered by César Augusto and, later, the birth of Jesus Christ, son of God. These representations are made up of nine Posadas, which begin on December 16, and consist of requesting accommodation on that symbolic road to Bethlehem until December 24, the eve of the birth of Jesus.

During this pilgrimage, the hardships they had to go through until they found accommodation in a stable in Bethlehem are noted.

Pinata

Breaking the pineapple is one of the most popular traditions in the Posadas in Mexico.

The piñata that is used in the Posadas (and that has also come to be used in many other celebrations of the year, over time) is a handicraft made from a clay or cardboard pot, or a wire structure covered with papier-mâché, decorated with colored paper.

Piñatas date from pre-Hispanic times in Aztec lands where, as a festive cult to their gods, they represented abundance and the favors conceived by them. Originally, during the birthday celebration of the Aztec god of war, Huitzilopochtli, hollow clay pots and sculptures were made in the shape of their gods.

According to the Catholic symbolism adopted in New Spain, the piñata has the shape of a seven-pointed star (each point represents a capital sin) that with its bright colors and tinsel seduces the innocent soul, to lead it to sin. The blindfolded person represents the believer who with the theological virtue of faith (this virtue is usually represented in this way in Catholic iconography) defeats sin by recovering the supernatural gift of grace (gifts of God necessary to achieve salvation). represented by falling fruits and sweets.

Celebrations in different parts of Latin America

Guatemala

It was Santo Hermano Pedro de San José de Betancourt (1626-1667) who in Guatemala introduced births and Posadas as part of the Christmas festivities to remember the journey of Mary and Joseph on their trip to Jerusalem, in order to fulfill with the Roman census and the birth of the baby Jesus in Bethlehem.

Las Posadas begin on December 15 and end on the 23rd of the same month. They consist of making a small anda (a platform that is carried on the back of a certain group of people), on which images of Mary and Joseph dressed as pilgrims are placed. Las Posadas are usually organized by Catholic brotherhoods, churches or individuals. When someone decides to organize a Posada, he needs to find nine houses that can receive it. In each house an altar is made and each day the arrangement is different: the 15th is dedicated to Nazareth; the 16th, to Mount Tabor; on the 17th, to the City of Nain; on the 18th, to Los Campos de Samaria. The 19th is dedicated to El Pozo de Siquén; on the 20th, to the City of Bethel; on the 21st, to the City of Anatot; on the 22nd, at the Entrance of Jerusalem; the 23rd is dedicated to the City of Bethlehem. In each of these places, according to the Catholic tradition, Jesus performed a miracle and/or a strong moment of his ministry, for example: it was in the Fields of Samaria, where he healed 10 lepers.

In the Posadas, people are divided into two groups, one that stays inside the selected house and another that, being outside, carries the already decorated anda. Las Posadas are accompanied on their journey by a marimba; by the sound of a tortoise shell or by a drum and flute. During the tour, the people who participate also carry colored lanterns, with lighted candles, which serve to light the path of the inn, as well as to note the passage of it. The inn travels through the streets and they go singing or praying; When they arrive at the house that awaits the inn, the two groups sing litanies in response, written especially for these holidays. Then the holy rosary is prayed and the celebration ends with a snack that consists of hot fruit punch, chuchitos, tamales, toasted tortillas, sweet bread, coffee or chocolate.

Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela

It is noteworthy that the Posadas, as such 'if they are celebrated , since the Novena de Aguinaldos has certain differences that totally separate it from said elections. Although they are equivalent, the Novena de Aguinaldos has a markedly religious character, apart from being a time of social gatherings and more than popular festivities, where the gifts of candies and food typical of said festivity are common, different of the lack of prayers that characterizes the Posadas. It is celebrated by singing Christmas carols

Mexico

Las Posadas are traditions in Mexico during the Christmas season. It is prayed for 9 days from December 16 to 24. Each of the nine days has a different meaning: humility, strength, detachment, charity, trust, justice, purity, joy and generosity. It can be celebrated every day in a different house, or else, it is customary to organize the neighbors by streets or blocks and in this way each block has the performance of each of the 9 posadas. As an example, we have the municipality of Tlaxco corresponding to the state of Tlaxcala, located in the central zone of the Mexican Republic. In the town, the Posadas are also celebrated from 9 days before Christmas. It is a Catholic tradition, so people pray and sing Christmas carols every day. The landlords offer punch, sugar cane, oranges or tangerines and a small bag with sweets and peanuts called a collation, without missing the piñatas full of sweets.

A person organizes a group called "the shepherds" of boys and girls; This varies in number of members since they can be 10, 15, 20 or more couples. They form in two lines, one for girls and the other for boys, 2 deep. The couple that remains in front are called captain and captain respectively. On the night of December 24, this group dances and sings, wearing a special outfit. The girls wear a corset and an apron, both black, a white or flowered dress and a hat on the back decorated with Chinese paper forming colored strips and a large flower, also made of Chinese paper, their hair is combed with 2 braids towards the sides and fall slightly on her shoulders towards the front with colored ribbons; In their right hand they carry a rattle made of iron sheet, which they make sound in unison when singing and dancing. The children wear a loose shirt with a ruffle on the lower edge, it can be white or of some special color (but they all look the same) and short pants, puffed up with leggings (similar to the pants of the Spanish in empire times), they wear a hat on the back decorated like the girls', they also carry a rattle the same, but they also carry on their left shoulder a bow made with jarilla sticks and decorated with colored Chinese paper. After singing and dancing (for the child God in the portal of Bethlehem) each child says a verse (from memory) while offering a present. This is called "la pastorela". In other places, the tradition of taking place in the atrium of the church is preserved, gathering all the inhabitants of the town or community in this place; The people in charge of the posadas are chosen by the church administrators, who need 9 families for each of the days in which they are held. The families are in charge of giving each of the attendees seasonal fruits, sweets, drinks and some appetizers.

The posadas are held every day from December 16 to the night of the 24. People gather and form a small pilgrimage to which candles are distributed and lit to accompany the "mystery" (statues or people disguised as representing José, María, the Angel and a donkey) and sing the litanies or Christmas carols, so you arrive at the house where you will ask for a posada and the people inside sing to deny it until they discover that it is about José and María, then they leave enter the entire pilgrimage singing "enter holy pilgrims"; later a rosary is prayed, and it is the turn to break the piñata.

The piñata (it was used by the evangelists to show the Indians what temptation was) is made with a clay pot giving it the shape of a star with seven points, which represent the seven deadly sins and is covered with brightly colored paper, and is filled with sweets and fruit. Once the piñata is ready, it represents the devil. To break it, first hang, blindfold the children (they were turned thirty-three times in memory of the thirty-three years that Christ lived), since this represents faith, which allows us to continue without having to see, the wooden stick with which it is hit represents God, who gives the strength to overcome temptations. Once the piñata is broken, the sweets and fruit it contained fall out, which represents the love of God, since by destroying evil, God's blessings are obtained. Finally, at the end of the inn, "aguinaldos" are distributed, which are small bags, with sweets, fruit and snacks. During the course of the inn, the fruit punch cannot be forgotten.

Currently it has become popular to call any non-religious festival celebrated between December 16 and 24 posada, which has motivated protests by Catholic groups, against the indiscriminate use of the term. In each school in the Mexican Republic, school posadas are held and they attend with normal or casual clothes and not with a school uniform.

In 2020, the posadas have not been carried out due to the COVID-19 Pandemic nor have the Christmas posadas in schools derived from COVID-19.