Getting ready for Christmas in Aguas Part 2: Posadas

Christmas piñatas














Muchas cosas de Navidad
en el mercado













Muchas mas cosas

Part 2: Posadas

Loosely translated as “Christmas party” a Posada was traditionally much more than that. Beginning on or around December 13 and continuing until Christmas Day, Posadas were primarily a time for prayer. Families would gather in the home and pray for the coming of baby Jesus and then they would share a meal together.
Sometimes families or groups of friends would take to the streets singing a traditional posada song (villancico) from house to house. At their final destination, usually the home of a relative, the group’s singing would be answered by another song performed by the host family. Prayers were then followed by a meal and the breaking of a piñata. The posada piñatas are star-shaped and have seven points. Each point represents one of the seven deadly sins (sloth, lust, gluttony, greed, envy, wrath and pride). It is thought that the beating and breaking of the piñata will cleanse oneself of any of the deadly sins they may have commited that year. (If only it were that easy!)
These days posadas are often given by one’s place of work. They are what we refer to as a Christmas party. These parties involve a great deal of eating and drinking and many places also do an Intercambio or Secret Santa. Some companies have employees perform their own version of the Christmas story. We’ve heard that sometimes these plays include a fair bit of comedy and bawdy humour, of course only up until the arrival of the baby Jesus.

Getting ready for Christmas in Aguascalientes

Baby Jesus dolls sold for do-it-yourself
nativity scenes next to man-slaughtering-pig figurines.

















Puesto selling nativity scene items








Getting ready for Christmas in Aguascalientes
Part 1 Christmas Market

Just like there was a special market in preparation for Day of the Dead, there is now a Christmas market in downtown Aguas. The Day of the Dead market sold all the supplies needed to make your own alter whereas the Christmas market has available everything you need to make your own nacimiento, or nativity scene. Countless puestos, or stalls sell figurines of varoius sizes: Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the Kings, angels, and shepherds. You can choose from a variety of the traditional manger animals such cows, sheep, and chickens but there also elephants, zebras, giraffes, turtles, snakes, bears and so on.
Many puestos specialize in selling the wooden manger structure in various sizes. To decorate the manger there is live moss, dried spanish moss and sawdust dyed bright green. You can also purchase rolls of brown paper that can be shaped and molded as desired when its made slightly wet. Aside from nativity scene supplies the market also sells artificial Christmas trees and decorations, blinking lights of every possible combination, garlands, nuts, candies and tangerines.