¡Feliz Navidad! Christmas with a Mexican-American family
No culture celebrates the Christmas holiday with more beauty and joy than the Mexican people. Since about one-quarter of our County’s population is Latino (https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/sonomacountycalifornia), a large number of our neighbors will be practicing those special holiday traditions this month.
The Caballero Family is among them. Miguel and Tzutzuki Caballero were both born in Michoacan, a state in Mexico from where many of our North Bay Mexican immigrants originate. Their immigration to the U.S. has not stopped them from adhering to many of the Christmas traditions that they grew up with.
Here’s a look at what their Christmas looks like – both here and for their extended family back in Mexico.
Las Posadas
Las Posadas are a custom celebrated in Mexico for the nine days before Christmas. The ritual commemorates the pilgrimage of Mary and Joseph from their departure from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Participants move from house to house, singing songs and bearing candles, just as Mary and Joseph sought a place to give birth to the baby Jesus on the first Christmas. The Posadas arose from the celebrations in the streets and squares of Mexico during the colonial period.
During Tzutzuki’s childhood the “Posadas” would commence on the 16th of December in the barrio (neighborhood) where her great grandmother lived. The posadas would last until Christmas Eve. The barrio would select homes for the participants to visit and one home would be the place of refuge for the celebrants. There, the hosts would hand out colaciones (traditional Christmas candy) and fruit. Each reveler would receive aguinaldos (gift bags). For more information about Las Posadas, visit https://nationaltoday.com/las-posadas/.
La Piñata
Another Mexican Christmas tradition carried on here is the breaking of la piñata. The Conquistadors brought the tradition of the pinata with them to the New World. The classic piñata is a brightly-colored clay pot with seven cones that represent the 7 deadly sins: pride, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and laziness. The breaking of the piñata symbolizes overcoming these evils, and the fruit and sweets that are inside represent abundance. Participants do it blindfolded, since we must seek the good in life “blindly.” https://www.gob.mx/siap/articulos/la-pinata-simbolo-de-la-cultura-mexicana?idiom=en
Advent
The Caballero family has always followed certain Catholic traditions at Christmas. At the beginning of December, the kids in the family help their grandmother set up the altar for the Virgen de Guadalupe (Virgin Mary) and the Nativity scene. In Mexico, colorful Nativity scenes fill every church and home. “My favorite part of Christmas was putting the tree up with my parents and my brother,” remembers daughter Danielle. “We would set up the nativity scene in early December, but the baby Jesus figure is left out until midnight Christmas eve.”
One of the Advent traditions throughout Mexico is to bring offerings to the church on Dec. 12, the feast of Guadalupe. This is the holy day on which Mexicans commemorate the appearance of the Virgin Mary to an indigenous peasant, Juan Diego, in 1531 in the village of Guadalupe. According to Catholic tradition, Mary left proof of her appearance in the form of her image on Juan Diego’s tunic. Today, the shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage destination in the world. https://www.catholicsandcultures.org/mexico-celebrating-our-lady-guadalupe
When Danielle and Osiris Caballero were children, they would bring offerings to the church on Dec. 12 dressed in colorful tunics traditional to Michoacan. There were processions through the streets around the church with townspeople playing the roles of the Virgin and Juan Diego. Every year, Mexicans throughout their homeland and across the United States honor the country’s patron saint in a similar way on this special day.
The Nochebuena
Like many Mexican families, the Caballero family spends Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) with relatives. In Mexico, uncles, aunts and cousins from different towns would descend upon the grandparents’ home and there would be bailes (dancing). Everyone would sit around abuelo (grandfather) and he would tell them stories.
Later there is a large meal with traditional platos navideños (Mexican dishes).
Often the Christmas table is filled with tamales, atole, and pozole -- a traditional soup made from hominy, pork, chili peppers, other vegetables, salsa and lime. Growing up in Mexico, the family Christmas dinners would include meat from the December hunting trip their father and uncles would make: usually venison or quail. Here in the U.S., the meat served is more often turkey, ribs or ham. Mrs. Caballero always makes ponche (fruit punch).
Sometimes, Mexican families will attend Christmas midnight mass, or pray rosario by the nativity scene. After midnight, the family shares hugs and toasts with homemade ciders or other drinks. Often the fiesta continues into the morning.
“From my parents, I learned that Christmas is about spending time with your family and appreciating those who surround you,” says Danielle. “For my parents Christmases can be hard because they are far away from their family, but teaching us their traditions from Mexico was their way of bringing home here.”
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and Happy Kwanzaa! Have a very special and safe holiday.
