Las Posadas (The Lodging) is a Christmas tradition celebrated throughout Mexico and New Mexico. Our church celebrated it last night, and our granddaughter portrayed the Virgin Mary. The church was decorated with luminarias (also called fajaritos), paper bags with sand and a lit candle inside. This is also a New Mexican Christmas tradition, and you can see one in the background here.
In the re-enactment of the nativity story, the congregation and mariachi musicians follow Mary and Joseph and a burro throughout the streets of the neighborhood and stop at three different houses. At each house Joseph sings, “En el nombre del cielo os pido posada. Pues no puede andar mi esposa amada.”
(Translation: In the name of Heaven, I beg you for lodging for she cannot walk, my beloved wife.)
Innkeeper: “Aqui no es meson, sigan Adelante. Yo no puedo abrir. No sea algun tunante.”
(Translation: This is not an inn, so keep going. I cannot open, you may be bad people.)
The procession ends up back at the church where there is a manger and Christmas carols are sung around a bonfire. Then everyone enters the church for a dinner of posole, a stew made of pork, hominy and green chile.
The evening ended with the mariachi musicians singing a quinceañera song to our granddaughter as it was also her 15th birthday, a significant event in Mexican culture.
First of all congratulation on your granddaughter's birthday and congratulations for the honour of being selection to portray the Virgin Mary. you must be very proud of your granddaughter, I know I was when our granddaughter Shayelynne was chosen to be Mary in a school play held at her church. the baby Jesus was a real baby.
Good picture, These night time shots are so difficult. You can't miss the fact that Joseph and Mary were very much like modern day refugees with out provisions and shelter. Good food for thought
Thank you so much for commenting on my photo of our granddaughter dressed as the Virgin Mary with the burro. Our family is not of Mexican origin, but living in New Mexico, we surely do share many parts of the culture, especially food and language.