Christmas is a most colorful time in Mexico! You’ll enjoy the posadas, the special foods and drinks, and the best of other holiday customs in Cuernavaca
during the days before and after Christmas. The Three Kings will be out right after Christmas to hear the petitions of the children...and maybe even listen to yours!

Cemanahuac will have Spanish language and Mexican culture classes throughout the holidays. Our families will welcome you into the warmth of their homes at this special time. You’ll go home with much better Spanish, a far better understanding of the culture of Mexico, and a holiday spirit that will last far into 2008!!!

Cemanahuac will offer you a special reduction in registration and tuition to
make it possible for you to enjoy the sunshine, the festivities, and all the
fun of the holidays in Mexico. Your entire family can relax in the color and
unique festive atmosphere that IS Mexico in December.

Reduced holiday fees, per week, from December 16 through December 30, will include:

Holiday registration fee	$75.00
Special holiday tuition	$200.00
Housing with a Mexican family, double room with all meals,	$168.00 per week per person
Housing with a Mexican family, single room with all meals,	$231.00 per week per person
Textbook	$35.00
Our small two-room guesthouses (across the street from the school) are available during this holiday period	$270 per week, two people

 

Our on line calendar will have more about holiday events in Cuernavaca, and for more information about fees for field study excursions and other
educational activities, contact Vivian Harvey, cemanahuac1@cs.com

---

Christmas in Mexico:

Here is some useful information about the entire holiday season in Mexico,
which stretches from December 3 to February 2. To start, there is the
celebration for the Virgen de Guadalupe (undeniably the most important figure in Mexico) from December 3 -12, followed by the posadas, from December 16 - 24. Then comes the very important Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) and Christmas Day, followed by Dia de Los Reyes on January 6. To finish off the Christmas season, there is El Dia de la Purificación, or the feastday of Candelaria, on February 2.

Las Posadas

Posadas are a kind of cross between street theater and a party. What
generally happens is that a posada will take place every night between the 16th and 24th. There will be children who are dressed as Jesus and Mary (sometimes with Mary on a donkey) who will reenact the search in Bethlehem for an inn (posada), as they are led by another child with a lantern playing the part of a guiding angel. The trio is accompanied by shepherds, and upon arriving at an "inn," the group will split in two, one half going inside the house, the other remaining outside with Jesus and Mary. Then ensues a choral exchange between the two groups, with Jesus and Mary pleading for shelter, and the group inside rejecting them, except for the final posada on the 24th, where they are finally given shelter.

Once the singing is over, everyone goes inside for the piñata, a tradition that involves breaking a star-shaped papier-mâché container full of sweets, mandarines, and small toys. A stick is used to hit the piñata, and the piñata is hung on a cord, which in turn is moved around to make it difficult for the person with the stick. First, the children have a go at it, then adults (blindfolded). While all this is going on, people drink ponche, a hot fruit punch, to which sometimes a piquette (a drop of tequila or rum) is added, and tamales are eaten, which are milled corn dumplings with various fillings.

After the last posada; on the 24th, a Midnight Mass traditionally takes
place.

Las Pastorelas

The light, humor-filled pastorelas are reenactments of the shepherds'
adoration of the Christ Child. First they are visited in the fields by an angel who announces the holy birth. As the shepherds attempt to follow the great star leading them to Bethlehem, they are plagued by a series of evils and
misadventures provoked by the Devil. But in the proverbial all's-well-that-ends-well finale, good triumphs over evil, and the shepherds reach their intended destination.

The pastorelas have a bit of history behind them. They were introduced by
Catholic priests in the struggle to convert Mexico to Christianity. In common
with other Prehispanic cultures cultures, the Aztecs held ceremonies during
the winter solstice; in this case, they were in honor of the virgin birth of
the sun God Huitzilopchtli. After having observed that the Aztecs used a type of theater to reenact historically-important events as part of the ceremonies, some priests came up with the idea of using reenactments of the shepherds' journey to the stable, superimposed during the same period as the previous celebrations.

Nochebuena

Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve, is an important family reunion, and the meal generally takes precedence over that of Christmas Day. The supper is at 12 pm, and often consists of turkey, as well as Romeritos (an herb) in Mole (a spicy chocolate sauce) with shrimps and potatoes, and Bacalao - cod served a la vizcaina, a Basque dish. The traditional dessert is colación, a mixture of candies in syrup.

Christmas Day

After the big meal the previous night, most people aren't in shape to wake up very early in the morning. When they eventually do, the present opening will usually take place. Sometimes, in large reunions, instead of giving
everybody a present, a gift exchange is used, where each person only gives one gift. Some time before Christmas, names will have been drawn, so the issue of who gives what gift to whom is resolved.

The Christmas meal is reheated from the previous night.

Christmas Decorations

An important part of Mexican Christmas decorations are the nativity scenes,
which instead of just focusing on the typical stable scene; sometimes will
ambitiously include the surrounding village, countryside with the shepherds on their way across the fields, rivers, and anything else that comes to mind. Some of the nativity scenes can be so big that it is difficult to find where the
stable is! Decorations are often left up until February 2, Dia de la Candelaria.

Los Santos Inocentes

December 28, Day of the Holy Innocents, is a religious commemoration of King Herod's ordering the slaughter of all male infants in his kingdom, intended to include the Christ Child. In Mexico it is celebrated as day akin to April Fool's, an occasion for jokes and pranks. The usual tactic is to approach a friend and ask to borrow cash or some object of value. If fooled by the ploy, the victim may be given a candy or silly gift in return, along with much joking and name calling. So beware, or you may find yourself titled Saint Näive for a day!

New Year's Day

On New Year's, a custom is to eat 12 grapes at midnight, each one on the
strike of the bell, for good luck in each one of the following twelve months.

Dia de los Reyes

January 6 is Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings Day), which is great for children, because they receive more presents. In the evening a rosca will be cut, which is a large round bread representing a crown, and hidden inside are small plastic "child Gods." If you unearth one of the plastic figurines in your slice of cake, you won't win anything, but you will be buying the tamales on February 2, Dia de la Candelaria, Purification Day, the day that the figures of the nativity sets are traditionally set aside till the next Christmas season.

For More Information

For more information, contact Vivian Harvey, cemanahuac1@cs.com.

---