There are nine days of festivals in Mexico which make up the Christmas celebration. These are called the Posadas. They start on December 16th and end on December 24th. Posadas means inn or place to lodge. The festival comemorates the journey taken by Mary and Joseph when they went to Bethlehem.
On the night of the 16th the first procession is formed with two young children at the front. They carry a litter made from twigs which carry figures of the nativity. When they arrive at the house which is giving the posadas for that night they knock on the door and sing a song begging for lodging. The people inside sing a reply saying that the house is not an inn. The children keep on pleading for lodging and eventually persuade those in the house to let them in.
When the children are finally let in they place the figures on the altar and they all sing and say prayers.
The most exciting part of the celebration comes now...the breaking of the pinata. A pinata is a clay or papier mache shape filled with sweets and toys. It is hung up high and dangles on a long string. In a games the children have sticks and try to break the pinata to release the toys and sweets held within.
The
same
process
is
repeated
for
eight
nights.
The
final
night,
Christmas
Eve
is
a
huge
event
ending
with
midnight
fireworks,
whistles
and
beels.
Most
people
then
go
to
church
to
celbrate
the
Misa
del
Gallo
(Mass
of
the
Cock,
could
that
be
something
to
do
with
it
being
very
early
in
the
morning?).
Dinner
is
served
after
mass
and
that
always
includes
bunuelos...pancake
served
with
a
sort
of
maple
syrup.