Holidays in Mexico

December is here, time to think about starting a new year, time to think about accomplishments from this year, time for being with the family and enjoying the holidays.

I love christmas, the celebration of our savior being born again. When i lived in Mexico the whole month was a celebration.

First came the novena for La Virgen de Guadalupe, which in my town started on December 3. Nine days of praying for the waiting of La virgen, my town hosted a community festival every year. They would close down one of the streets, local vendors would set up street shops around the church that hosted the image of La Virgen de Guadalupe. Then December 12th there was a big celebration, everybody from the town would come and visit the church, buy food from the vendors and stay for the fireworks.

4 days later, December 16th, the Posadas started. A recreation of the way tha Jose and Maria asked for a place to stay for the birth of Jesus. At this celebrations, somebody hostest the posada each of the 9 nights, this person will provide an "Aguinaldos" or a dinner. Aguinaldo was just a bag with candy inside, sometimes with an orange or a tangerine. I never liked the dinners... and then also on Posadas was when pinatas were the most popular, I read somewhere that they were so colorful and shiny because they were like temptations (or the devil) and you hit them because you are supposed to break bad temptations.

Our biggest celebration always happened on December 24th, cooking the dinner, spending time with the loved ones, eating, staying up until midnight to celebrate the birth of Baby Jesus.... and the fireworks and the parade.

On December 25th, we would just eat left overs and go to church to view the Nacimientos. (Nativities) The church on my street had a real people nacimiento, except for the baby.

In my hometown in Mexico December 27th was the beggining of the Town festival. My baby sister loved that, we always took her there for her birthday. The festival was hosted for one week and a half, it took up the whole center of the town with mechanical rides, food vendors, and toy vendors. it went for about 5 to 6 blocks and the whole bus station.

Since I moved here, 8 years ago, christmas has not felt the same and even thought i get a lot of gifts and a couple of days off, it is as if christmas didn't happen.