Las Posadas

Las Posadas is a nine-day celebration that begins tonight, on December 16. Posada is Spanish for "lodging", and the nine days represent the nine months of Mary's pregnancy.

In Mexico, people gather and carry candles and clay figures of Mary and Joseph from house to house, reenacting Mary and Joseph’s search for a room at an inn. They are turned away again and again with a rude “No!” Finally, one house allows them to enter, and everyone celebrates with food and a piñata. The procession is repeated each night through Christmas Eve, with a party at a different house each night.

I have always wished to live someplace where the Posadas procession is practiced. It reminds me of what it means to be a compassionate person and part of a compassionate community. It reminds me that the person at the door asking for help is always Jesus.

“...for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” Matthew 25:35-36.

A hut I helped to build two years ago.

Agenda:
1. Collect supplies for Community Supported Shelters:
CSS makes huts for homeless people (which I have helped to build), but they also host three tent camping spots. They are now collecting donations of tents, sleeping bags, firewood, umbrellas, gloves, and other supplies to make winter camping more bearable.

At Posada I always double up my efforts to help homeless people in my community, so today I'm putting out a plea for supplies to help CSS.

2. Finish my Piñata:
My shell is dry, so it's time to decorate my piñata.

Supplies: Spray paint, colorful card stock, clear tape, scissors, masking tape, glue, tissue paper

1- I began by spraying my globe with gold paint. Use a knife to cut a door at the top for putting in the candy.

2- Make star point cones with card stock- as many as you want.

Tape them with clear tape, and cut tabs for gluing.

3- Glue and tape each star point in place. (I removed the tape the next day, before adding the tissue paper.)

All the points in place- I left it to dry over night.

4- Stack many colors of tissue paper together and cut strips about 4-inches wide.

Fold in half lengthwise,






and snip to make fringe. 

5- Starting at the base of each cone, glue on 2 or 3 rows of tissue paper fringe to cover the joint.

6- You can use some of the scrap pieces of fringe to decorate the tips of the cones too--

and it's finished!



3. Set out our crèche: 

Traditionally, it was St. Francis of Assisi who made the first crèche, in honor of animals who shared the stable with the baby Jesus. 

We made Mary and Joseph with fabric and glue when my kids were very young. The donkey and bird (on the roof) are Fimo and the manger is balsa wood.

Today I set out just these figures, but leave the manger empty until Christmas morning.

4. Make Mexican hot chocolate:
You can buy Mexican chocolate in boxes in the specialty isle of your grocery store. It has a different flavor and texture than regular chocolate because they add cinnamon.

Ingredients:

• 1 qt. milk
• 2 tablets (about 7 oz.) of Mexican chocolate

1. Pour milk into a saucepan and heat on low.

2. Break chocolate into small pieces. Add to the milk, and bring it to a simmer. Stir the mixture until the chocolate is melted.

3. Beat the hot chocolate with a whisk until foamy.

5. Read the Christmas story:
Luke 2:1-20.


6. Have a Posada Procession:

No room at the inn.

We had a procession at our Friends Meeting Christmas party! It was fun. I asked for volunteers to be Mary and Joseph and other pilgrims, and for several innkeepers. We walked around the building outside, in the ice, and knocked at all the doors- and were rejected and sent away (very politely). Finally someone said we could come in and sleep in the barn. 


Then we broke the piñata.