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jennifer rose

Dec 18, 2002, 10:08 PM

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Mexican Christmas Memories

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What was your first Mexican Christmas memory? Your best? If you live outside of Mexico, how do you incorporate Mexican traditions into your own celebration? If you live in Mexico, what other Christmas traditions do you interweave during the holidays here?

Peter

Dec 19, 2002, 6:46 AM

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Re: [jennifer rose] Mexican Christmas Memories

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I remember our first Christmas in Mexico. It was quite a shock. This was also our first trip to this great country.

We boarded the direct flight in Omaha when the temperature was 21 degrees below zero. You can imagine how we looked. Heavy coats, Long Johns and the like. When we arrived in Manzanillo the very humid temperature was 87! Holy Moly! The locals got a big kick out of all of us heading into the bathroom dressed like Eskimo's and coming out looking like pealed bananas in shorts!

Happy Holidays,

Peter

smacarol

Dec 19, 2002, 8:47 PM

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Re: [jennifer rose] Mexican Christmas Memories

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This is our first Christmas living in Mexico, though we spent several holidays in a beach house in Ensenada when we lived in LA in the '70s and '80s.

We had a Posada at the Hotel Sautto in San Miguel de Allende Sunday, and I saw my first Mexican nativity scene, not the usual display limited only to Mary/Joseph/Jesus/3 Wise Men/Angel/Shepherds/Camels and Sheep. Mexican nativities often include dolls and statues representing the whole community and all sorts of animals--toy Easter chickens and rabbits, for example. Oranges and loquats off the trees in the hotel garden encircled the nativity scene, and the macaws which enliven the hotel courtyard provided background music.

A couple dozen young children arrived searching for room at the inn, Mary on a white burro. They did the traditional exchanges of asking and being rejected, and then came the party and pinatas. The kids sang Mexican carols and an adult chorus with musicians entertained.

Adults stood by with lighted candles and sparklers, sipping hot chocolate, white chocolate, a very dark drink called "negro" (anybody want to tell me what was in it?) or mulled hot punch, with or without alcohol. Then we all ate tamales and bunueles (sp?), a cinnamon sugar glaze coated fried tortilla.

This posada was a benefit for ALMA, a home for elderly Mexicans who do not have families to take them in. It was a very sweet experience. I am looking forward to many such events the coming week.

Carol Schmidt

Rolly

Dec 19, 2002, 9:21 PM

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Re: [jennifer rose] Mexican Christmas Memories

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My first Christmas in Mexico 15 years ago was spent in Manzanillo with a large family of friends in their home up on the mountain having a wonderful Christmas eve dinner, opening presents, drinking T and making toasts, etc. But I wasn't feeling well, so I went back to my apartment a little after midnight. By Christmas morning I was really sick. A friend drove me around town trying to find a doctor, but no one was working. I finally told my friend to take me back to the apartment; if I was going to die, I wanted to do it in bed. The next day my doctor friend was back in town. It took him about one minute to tell me I had dengue.

Two weeks in bed in a marvelous apartment right on the beach that I could only look at. But friends came every day to cheer me up. They all had the same reaction to my having the dengue – they laughed and said “You feel like your going to die, but you’ll be OK.” Turns out almost every one of them had had the dengue one or more times. It was a pretty good vacation despite the dengue. I felt awful (it's a really strange malady), but I've had a story to tell, and fond memories of a bunch of wonderful people who took good care of me, despite laughing at the gringo with the dengue.

What was the song -- Into each life a little rain must fall...

I've had four more great Christmases without the dengue. And I'm all set to OD on Chirstmas tamales next Tuesday night.

Rolly Pirate

E-visit me http://Rollybrook.com
On Facebook as Rolly Brook

wendy devlin

Dec 20, 2002, 12:42 PM

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Re: [jennifer rose] Mexican Christmas Memories

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This year, our family is celebrating Christmas in Canada after five Christmases in Mexico.

I feel like I'm in a 'foreign' land!

Actually we are looking forward to celebrating at home...but this discussion brings up a host of good memories. Like Christmas eve last year.

Colima in December was being a little warm for us, so Arbon and I decided to 'chill' out in the highlands of Michoacán.

And in my little book of fiestas in Mexico, I had noted that a village named Ahuiran held an annual Fiesta de Navidad. First we drove through the better known nearbye Paracho. It's small plaza was wild, vendors, food, traffic, noise...too much buzzing for us...so we headed directly to Ahuiran, a few miles away. It's streets were quiet and our van was practically the only car parked by the plaza. But people assured us that indeed there would be a pastorela later that evening...plus a huge public dance with a banda.

Also the pueblo had a very Christmassy feeling to it... everywhere was powdered with frost.

There were hardly any street-lights... and as dusk fell the pueblo got darker and darker.

But just when, we could barely see any longer, shop and home owners hauled out bundles of wood onto the sidewalks...and soon the way to the church was blazing. The oomp-pah of a distant tuba announced that a procession was heading this way. Slowly the participants came, singing and holding candles or lanterns. Many were wearing large fancy hats like members of the Mad Hatter's Tea Party.

They filed to the front of the church and then divided into two sides. The participants chanted and walked through their pastorela. Then as a finale both groups formed a huge circle and walked around and around the plaza. The patron saint of honor was also paraded around in his high and magnificant altar. I had paid my respects earlier in the church and had gotten quite a kick out of his appearance. This saint was dressed like a flashy cowboy.

After the procession, people scattered around the plaza. By this time a few vendors had tacos sizzling and hot drinks ready. After enjoying this, we kicked back to listen to the plaza rock until the wee hours. Saludos Wendy

mavis1206

Dec 20, 2002, 6:37 PM

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Re: [jennifer rose] Mexican Christmas Memories

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I was in college in Oklahoma in the early 70's and made friends with Baptist missionary kids attending school at the same university. Their parents still lived in Mexico City and we made a trip down for the holiday during Christmas break. We stayed at their home in one of the "colonias" and participated in the Posadas of their best friends. But the most overwhelming of the memories comes from going to the Zócalo and the Alameda after dark and seeing the lights with all the locals in attendance. It was a kinder and gentler time and totally magical. I only wish I had been more into photography at the time. Those were unforgetable times which I wish I could pass on.

(This post was edited by jennifer rose on Dec 23, 2002, 8:22 PM)