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I think sometimes we forget our roots and we just immerse ourselves in our lives and take everything for granted.
After living in London for more than 9 years now, I think this is the first Christmas when I have really missed the festive season in Mexico.
I wanted to tell you about a few of the things I love about Christmas at home in Mexico.
To start with we have the “posadas” witch means “shelter” that are held in neighbourhoods around Mexico. This celebration recreates Mary and Joseph’s search for a place to stay in Bethlehem and are held from 16th of December to the 24th of December.
The celebration consists of a procession with candles, sometimes with individuals selected to play the parts of Mary and Joseph, or sometimes images are carried. The procession will make its way to a particular home (a different one each night), where a special song is sung. In this song those outside the house sing the part of Joseph asking for shelter and the family inside responds singing the part of the innkeeper saying that there is no room. The song switches back and forth a few times until finally the innkeeper decides to let them in. The door is opened and everyone goes inside.
Then the hosts give the guests food, usually tamales and a hot drink – like ponche or atole. Then there are piñatas and the children are given candy.
I remember doing this for many years in my grandparents house, we were a big family at that time living all close to each other plus we would have different posadas every day with a different neighbour! A never ending celebration, with so much food and drinks… just imagine how we would end up like for New Year…!
I remember my favourite Christmas were always with my grandparents, we all used to get together on the 24th from lunch time, my grandma would cook for all of us (around 20 of us!), then at night we will go to the church with my granpa, then come back drink some ponche and dance some salsa, I used to hate dancing but now I actually like it. We would then have a feast of my grandma’s cooking romeritos, mole, chicken achiote and spaghetti (Mexican style!). At that point we drank, we ate, we went to the church… but the most exciting part were the presents! We all used to exchange presents and I used to get full of clothes… not very exciting but still very nice. I think my best Christmas was when I got an electric guitar, I never knew how to use it though.
All the family used to stay overnight and Santa would come overnight. So you can imagine all my cousins at 5am waking up everybody showing off our new toys!
People say that good memories stay forever and that these are the treasures of human kind, I hope you enjoy this treasure!
Feliz Navidad y prospero año nuevo.
Julio
by Julio : Monday, 21 December 2009
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