Las Posadas is anovenario (an extended devotional prayer). It is celebrated chiefly inLatin America (El Salvador,Mexico,Guatemala andHonduras) and byHispanic and Latino Americans in theUnited States.[1][2] It is typically celebrated each year between December 16 and December 24.[1] Latin American countries have continued to celebrate the holiday, with very few changes to the tradition.
Las Posadas derives from theSpanish wordposada (lodging, oraccommodation) which, in this case, refers to the inn from theNativity story. It uses the plural form as the celebration lasts for a nine-day interval (called thenovena) during theChristmas season, which represents the nine-month pregnancy[3][4] ofMary, the mother ofJesus Christ.
This celebration has been a Mexican tradition for over 430 years, starting in 1586. Many Mexican holidays include dramatizations of original events, a tradition which has its roots in the ritual ofBible plays used to teach religious doctrine to a largely illiterate population in 10th- and 11th-century Europe. The plays lost favor with the Church and were eventually banned as they became popular through the addition of folk music and other non-religious elements; they were reintroduced in the 16th century by two Spanish saints[who?] as theChristmas pageant — a new kind of religious ceremony to accompany the Christmas holiday.
The origins of Las Posadas are associated with the Augustinian friars of San Agustín de Acolman, near Mexico City. In 1586, Friar Diego de Soria obtained authorization from Pope Sixtus V to hold misas de aguinaldo (“Christmas gift masses”) between December 16 and 24. The observance, which began in churches, later spread to haciendas and private homes, taking on its modern form by the 19th century.[5]
In Mexico, thewinter solstice festival was one of the most important celebrations of the year that came on December 12 according to theJulian calendar used by the Spanish until 1582.[6][7][8] According to theAztec calendar,Tonantzin (the mother of the gods) was celebrated on the winter solstice, and she is still feted on December 12,[7][8][9] while their most important deity, the sun godHuitzilopochtli, was born during the month of December (panquetzaliztli). The parallel in time between this native celebration and the celebration ofChristmas lent itself to an almost-seamless merging of the two holidays. Seeing the opportunity to proselytize, Spanish missionaries brought the reinvented religious pageant to Mexico where they used it to teach the story of Jesus' birth. In 1586, Friar Diego de Soria obtained aPapal bull fromPope Sixtus V, stating that a Christmas mass should be observed throughout Mexico on the nine days preceding Christmas Day.[citation needed]
While its roots are inCatholicism,Protestant Latinos also follow the tradition.[3]
Two people dress up asMary andJoseph and certain houses are designated to be "inns"; the head of the procession carries a candle inside a paper shade. The actors travel to one house each night for nine nights. At each house, the resident responds by singing a song and the pair are recognized and allowed to enter; the group of guests come into the home and kneel around the Nativity scene to pray (typically, theRosary). The final location may be a church instead of a home.
Individuals may play the various parts of Mary (María) and Joseph (José), with the expectant mother riding a real donkey, attendants such as angels and shepherds joining along the way, or pilgrims who may carry images of the holy personages instead, while children may carrypoinsettias.[10] The procession is followed by musicians, with the entire procession singing posadas such aspedir posada.[4] At the end of each night, Christmas carols are sung, children break open star-shapedpiñatas and everyone sits for a feast.[4][11] The piñatas used during the holiday are traditionally made out of clay.
One event inPortland, Oregon, finishes withSanta Claus and Christmas gifts donated to needy children.[12]
A large procession has been held since 1966 along theSan Antonio River Walk.[13][14] It traverses large landmarks inSan Antonio, Texas, including theArneson River Theater,Museo Alameda, and theSpanish Governor's Palace, ending at theCathedral of San Fernando.[15]
In thePhilippines, the tradition ofLas Posadas is illustrated by thePanunulúyan pageant; sometimes it is performed immediately before theMisa de Gallo (Midnight Mass) and sometimes on each of the nine nights. The main difference, compared to Mexico, is that actors are used for Mary and Joseph instead of statues and sing the requests for accommodation. The lines of the "innkeepers" are also often sung, but sometimes these respond without singing. Another difference is that the lyrics are not in Spanish but in a Philippine language.
InColombia,Venezuela, andEcuador, families and friends gather from the 16th to the 24th of December to pray theNovena de Aguinaldos.[16]
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