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.