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Hispanic tradition keeps focus on Christ
By J.D. Long-García, The Catholic Sun
January 3, 2008
While some secular Christmas traditions focus on a jolly old man and his reindeer, others focus on Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
Las posadas, a nine-day Latin American tradition that commemorates the Holy Family’s search for lodging on the eve of Christ’s birth, reminds Catholics of the true gift of Christmas.
“In my time, the most important focus was to remember the birth of Jesus and the journey of Joseph and Mary,” said Lucha Guevara, coordinator of religious education at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Peoria.
A procession follows a couple representing Mary and Joseph, either with costume or with statues. The couple travel from house to house seeking refuge.
They sing at each house, asking for posada, or shelter. Again and again, a song comes back, rejecting the Holy Family.
“Someone finally does open the shelter — so we celebrate that with a piñata,” said Guevara, who organized a las posadas event for parish families Dec. 20. She compared the piñata, the gifts and celebration to a birthday party. The children got it.
“What present are you going to bring Him on His birthday?” she asked the children. “As Christians, we are called to give ourselves at Christmas.”
At St. Martin de Porres Parish, Catholics celebrated all nine days of las posadas, from Dec. 16-24. Each night they prayed the rosary and walked from door to door around the parish grounds.
“It took nine months for Christ to be born, so we do nine days of posadas. That’s the way it started,” parishioner Eddie Trujillo said.
Socorro Gonzalez, who was visiting from Chihuahua, Mexico, was happy to find the parish celebrating las posadas.
“It’s beautiful, because in Mexico it’s like this, so it’s lovely to also find it here,” she said.
For Martin Hernandez, who led the group in song, it’s important to pass the tradition on to his children.
“The first few times, they were a bit surprised,” he said. “They like it because it’s something that happens each year.”
Hernandez said it helps the family focus on the meaning of Christmas.
“It’s prayer. We ask God to be the Lord of our lives,” he said, “the Lord of our home.”
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