Presented by Flores Law Group
In honor of Las Posadas and the commemoration of the journey that Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem, our special programming will include a variety of festive music taking you on a holiday journey, ranging from mariachi bands to Latin pop singers. Families can gather and connect over holiday activities including ornament building.
History & Ways to Celebrate Las Posadas
Las Posadas (December 16–24) is a celebration leading up to Christmas, which commemorates the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The holiday is commonly celebrated in Mexico, Latin America, and Spanish-speaking communities in the United States. “Las posadas” is Spanish for “the inns,” and is named so because it commemorates the journey taken by Joseph and Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem, in their search for safe lodging to give birth to Jesus.
Las Posadas is celebrated with nightly processions through the city or town, often led by children dressed as angels or by figures dressed as Mary and Joseph. The procession stops at different homes and asks the inhabitants for lodging for Mary and Joseph. The homeowner must refuse lodging, but gives out treats or refreshments to the parade-goers. Mass is held on each day of the festival, followed by singing, feasting, and the breaking of star-shaped piñatas. After Las Posadas, the celebrating continues on into Christmas and New Year, and concludes with Rosca de Reyes on January 6th, where figures dressed as the Three Wise Men visit homes and give gifts to children.
Traditions at Las Posadas include making and eating tamales, drinking atole (a sweet spiced masa-based beverage,) singing carols and litanies, and seven-pointed star piñatas to represent the star that led the Three Wise Men to Bethlehem. This holiday is so popular in Mexico that any holiday-related party is called a posada!
