Our family has had the joy of experiencing Christmas in a variety of cultures these last few years. In Jamaica, December 24 is Grand Market and everyone shops all day and all night-long for their Christmas gifts. Christmas cake and sorrel punch are also served throughout the season.
In Costa Rica, employees enjoy their Christmas bonus called the aguinaldo; it is equivalent to one-month’s pay. Tamales, pupusas, and empanadas round out their holiday fare.
Of course, here in Mexico they celebrate their own unique traditions. Posada is the Spanish word for inn or shelter and in Mexico, Las Posadas is the reenactment of Mary and Joseph searching for shelter on that fateful night. Nine days before Christmas, children portraying Mary and Joseph, and the other nativity characters parade through the town stopping at designated homes to sing and ask for shelter. Finally, a friendly face tells them that although there is no room at the posada they are welcome to take refuge in their humble stable. The grateful pilgrims enter the home and the celebration begins.
Piñatas are another holiday tradition that were initially used as object lessons to teach the faithful. The customary estrella or star-shaped piñata sports seven points that represent the seven deadly sins* (100 holly berries if you can name them all). The blindfold represents faith, the stick symbolizes the will to overcome sin and the special treats hidden within the piñata symbolize the treasures of the Kingdom. Therefore, with faith and virtue one can enjoy all the rewards of heaven.
Growing up, my New England family enjoyed seafood on Noche Buena or Christmas Eve. Lobster (yes we cooked the critters ourselves), linguini and clam sauce, and cocktail shrimp were the focus of our Christmas eve feast.
Our home town newspaper reserved a full page for Clement Moore’s, A Visit from St. Nicholas. As youngsters, my dad would read it to us right before bedtime to ensure sugar-plum inspired dreams.
Lastly, I recall the beautiful candle light service at Trinity Episcopal Church on the green in New Haven, CT. It was a wondrous experience to sing Christmas hymns in that gothic-revival style church. The stained glass panels depicting biblical scenes sparkled with candle light as we welcomed the birth of Christ at the stroke of midnight.
One year in particular that midnight mass was quite poignant. Although, I grew up in a Christian home and I always believed in Jesus, my relationship with Christ took a major leap forward as I completely dedicated my life to him. I stood with candle in hand, singing O Come All Ye Faithful, and I thought to myself, Indeed, that is exactly what I have done this year; I came to Christ. I am one of the faithful to which the song is referring. I never felt so joyful and triumphant in all my life.
Holidays and the traditions they encompass serve as memorials in our lives; reminders of significant events and the special people we shared them with. The sumptuous food, the infectious laughter, the retold stories, the lighted candles, and the traditional hymns all represent special moments in time. But they are more than just simple reminders of our past. They are dynamic memorials; they bring the past into our present while shaping our future.
Our family, like Mary and Joseph, find ourselves this year in an unfamiliar country as we await the advent of Christ. Yet we are grateful pilgrims for we have been welcomed into a new home. Grounded and comforted by familiar traditions we look forward to incorporating a few new ones.
Feliz Navidad.
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