Children line up at St. Lawrence School in Utica for a celebration of Las Posadas, a Mexican and Mexican-American tradition commemorating the pilgrimage of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, looking for a room for the newborn Jesus. (Courtesy of Francisco Calleros)Mexican tradition re-enacts Holy Family’s Bethlehem journey in days leading
up to Christmas
DETROIT — From Mexico City to the Motor City, every Advent, countless families gather in the streets of their neighborhood, singing and praying, commemorating Mary and Joseph’s pilgrimage to Bethlehem.
This Mexican and Mexican-American tradition traces its roots back to 1587, when Augustinian brothers assigned from Spain received permission from the pope to begin a new novena in the New World for new converts to the faith to pray to prepare for Christmas.
The novena turned into Las Posadas, Spanish for lodging, in commemoration of when Joseph and Mary couldn’t find an inn to take them in so Mary could give birth to Jesus.
“Posadas is a celebration we celebrate in Mexico, commemorating the baby Jesus, Joseph and Mary, looking for a place to stay, looking for shelter so Jesus can be born,” said Martin Solis, a member of Holy Redeemer Parish in southwest Detroit.
Las Posadas starts on Dec. 16, when all the families in the community gather outside to pray a decade of the rosary and sing.
Participants dress as Mary, Joseph and the angels and then knock on a door in the neighborhood, where a homeowner says they have no room.
The crowd then prays another decade of the rosary before moving on to the next home. At the fifth house, the host family welcomes in the characters playing the Holy Family, and a celebration ensues.
“I remember as a child, all the moms in the neighborhood got together to plan the Posadas,” said Francisco Calleros, a member of SS. Cyril and Methodius Parish in Sterling Heights. “Every day, everyone meets outside a house, and they line all the kids and family members with lights and candles. Then you go from there, to another house, then another house.”
Calleros said specific songs are sung to commemorate Joseph and Mary looking for a place to stay and the “innkeepers” saying they have no room.
“It’s meant to represent when St. Joseph was looking for a place to stay, knowing the houses on the street each night people will visit. Then on the fifth house, you knock, then that house lets you into the house, then inside the house, and the host family prepares some food to share.”
Traditional Posadas food includes tamal, a dish made from dough that’s steamed in a cornhusk or banana leaves; champurrado, a chocolate-based atole, a warm and thick Mexican drink, prepared with a lime-treated-corn dough, masa harina (a dried version of the dough) or corn flour, panela, water or milk; and bunuelo, a fried dough ball usually filled with sweets.
“As part of the tradition, the food is meant to be shared with the people in the community, the people you encounter on a daily basis,” said Luly Calleros of SS. Cyril and Methodius Parish. “The celebration is meant to give homage to the trip of Mary and Joseph, so during Posadas, we give homage to the travels of others. The novena lasts for nine days, which also represents the nine months Mary carried Jesus.”
While the Posadas is intended to be celebrated outside, due to Michigan’s cold December nights, most Hispanic communities in southeast Michigan opt to celebrate Posadas in parish halls.
Holy Redeemer Parish celebrates Posadas in the Blue Room at 7 p.m. during the novena, beginning Dec. 16 and lasting through Dec. 24, culminating with Christmas Eve Mass at the parish.
“The important thing for Posadas is that it’s done as a family, everyone from the 3-year-old kids to grown adults can participate,” Solis said. “During Posadas, we gather at 7 p.m. and it goes till 9 p.m. Then on the 24th, we celebrate as a community before heading into the church to celebrate Mass.”
Calleros said St. Lawrence Parish in Utica also celebrates Posadas in the Knights of Columbus hall, and after each night of the novena, children from the community break open a piñata filled with candy, representing how the coming of Jesus destroyed sin and showered graces on his followers.
A young girl takes a swing at the pinata during the the Posadas celebration at St. Lawrence Parish in Utica. Children from the community break open a pinata filled with candy, representing how the coming of Jesus destroyed sin and showered graces on his followers. (Courtesy of Francisco Calleros)“The piñata has seven figs or seven spikes, symbolizing the seven deadly sins,” said Francisco Calleros. “And then in the piñata is candy. The children use sticks to break the piñata, representing the wood of the cross used to overcome sin, sometimes it’s a kind of club. But each child goes up to the piñata and takes a turn to hit the piñata, until every child has a chance to break the piñata and candy comes out.”
While the singing, costumes and candy are all fun and games, the main focus of Posadas is Jesus, who comes to save all.
“It is very much a celebration of all of life being saved, waiting for baby Jesus coming to us,” Solis said. “We sing, put the baby Jesus on a blanket and move him like he’s flying; giving him a kiss and we pray and sing. But the main thing is, we pray. We teach the kids we’re celebrating Jesus, that he is coming to rescue us. And that’s always worth celebrating.”
Las Posadas
Las Posadas celebrations take place in Holy Redeemer’s Blue Room, 1721 Junction St., Detroit, Dec. 16-24, from 7-9 p.m. and at the Knights of Columbus Banquet Hall next to St. Lawrence Parish in Utica, 44425 Utica Road, with the Dec. 16 celebration taking place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
