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Text and images provided by Alvar Villa Martínez
(MFA Year 2 student of the School of F/TV)
Mexico is a country with a long and colorful history and culture, an intrinsic part of which is Catholicism. The religion of 95% of Mexicans has deeply influenced our country’s celebrations and festivities throughout the year, but nowhere more so as the period affectionately called “Guadalupe-Reyes” comprising the dates between December 12th and January 6th.
Guadalupe-Reyes is a tongue-in-cheek term used to describe the laid-back atmosphere of this holiday period, replete with liturgical festivals which have transcended their religious function and have become part of the daily lives of all Mexicans, Catholic or otherwise. Festivities begin the day of the Visitation of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe) on December 12th and end on January 6th, known locally as “Three King’s Day” (Día de Reyes) but also known throughout the Christian world as “Epiphany” or “Theophany” day.
Most of the celebrations of this period (including an obscure little festival called Christmas) are not unique to Mexico. In fact, they are quite common throughout Christendom, but to some extent all have been shaped by the traditions, emotions and histories of the people of Mexico, becoming interpreted and enriched through the local lens to become, on occasion, entirely unique customs such as the period known as Las Posadas.
Las Posadas is originally a “novenario” a recitation of prayer that lasts for nine days, in this case in reference to the ninth months of Mary’s pregnancy. It was held to honor the journey taken by Joseph and Mary to search for safe lodging for the imminent birth of Jesus Christ. As the story goes, they journeyed to and fro, asking to be allowed at inns (Posadas in Spanish, hence the name) but being turned away roughly from some, and accepted at others, only to give birth to Christ in a stable in Bethlehem.
In Mexico, and then later in central America and in the Mexican diaspora in the US, the Posadas evolved from the traditional praying to become a festivity in which friends and family congregate and recreate the scene of Joseph and Mary asking for lodging, eat together, and break a traditional piñata together.
A traditional posada is often structured as follows: The gathering of loved ones is divided in two, the pilgrims and the innkeepers, situated appropriately outside and inside the house chosen for the celebration. As night falls, the Pilgrims, holding unlit candles, sing a song together asking the innkeepers, whose candles are lit, to be let into the house for the night, as the journey has been long. The innkeepers respond and, in song, refuse. The pilgrims try again, refused again, and after some back and forth, finally let in, at which point the innkeepers share the fire from their candles with them, and they sing a final refrain from the song all together.
After the singing, usually hot drinks are passed around, and the whole group congregates to break a Piñata.
Piñatas are large hollow containers, usually made from clay or papier mache, which are filled with candy and assorted fruit, meant to be rained down on the revelers once broken. Piñatas, their antecessors, and other similar items can be found throughout the world, the word Piñata for example, comes from the Italian “Pignatta”. However, as many other things, they came to be most defined and identified in their Mexican incarnation: A brightly colored, seven-pointed star, representing the seven deadly sins, and our ability to overcome them.
The breaking of a piñata is carried out by blindfolding each subsequent participant, spinning them around to dizzy them, and then set them loose to try to hit the pinata with a stick. The piñata is usually being moved around as well, by someone holding the string from which it is hung. Usually, the celebrant is only allowed to hit the piñata for about a minute, the duration of which is signified through yet more singing. As the song ends, the participant gives way to the next one. This continues until the piñata breaks, moment on which everyone rushes to get to the raining treats.
After this, tradition dictates the participants pray around a small nativity scene, usually represented by small clay figurines, but nowadays this has fallen out of use. These “Nascimentos” however, are still set up as part of the larger holiday period, taking more relevance on Christmas, and on Three Kings Day, as the small display is modified according to how the story progresses, with the child Christ being placed on the display on Christmas day, and the Three Wise Kings being placed on January 6th, a day similar to Christmas for Mexicans, upon which gifts are given to the children of the household, just as Jesus was gifted with Myrrh, Gold and Frankincense.
These and other events comprise the Mexican holiday season, a period both of great brotherhood and similitude with the rest of the world, but also of unique flavor and identity which Mexicans cherish and love to share.
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