The Tradition

Started at the Garcia Center by Ernie Garcia and Benito Barrios, Las Posadas is a community tradition of gathering during the holiday season to enjoy one another's company and sharing in one another's hospitality with pan dulce and hot chocolate.

The History

Las Posadas (Spanish for “the inns”) is an Advent celebration revolving around the concept of hospitality. In Mexico and some parts of Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador, it is traditional to hold Posadas during the nine days before Christmas, beginning December 16 and ending December 24. The Posadas symbolize Mary and Joseph’s long, frustrating search for a place to stay where Jesus could be born. The tradition re-enacts--with a twist, and a happy ending--the story told in Luke 2:1-7. We learn from the Posadas that by welcoming the poor and the needy, we are welcoming Jesus in our midst. (See Matthew 25:40).

Typically, different families in a neighborhood will take turns scheduling a night for the Posada to be held at their home, starting on the 16th of December and finishing on the 24th. Every home has a nativity scene, and the family hosting the Posada act as the innkeepers. The neighborhood children and adults are the pilgrims (“Peregrinos”), who go house to house, singing a traditional song about Mary and Joseph searching for lodging. At one house after the other, they are turned away (also in song), until the weary travelers reach the designated site for the party, where Mary and Joseph are finally recognized and allowed to enter.

Adapting the Posada to a Church Setting

In the U.S., a growing number of congregations, both Latino and Anglo, are adapting the tradition of the Posadas into an Advent-time event held in the church, rather than in homes, or into a one-time procession which starts at a nearby home (or homes) and concludes at the church. The whole congregation, as well as neighbors and friends, are invited to participate.

The participants are divided into two groups, with one half (the pilgrims) gathering outside the church or social hall while the other half (the innkeepers) wait inside. The song can be sung in English or, even better, in both English and Spanish. The song ends with the pilgrims entering the “inn” to a joyous welcome.

Las Posadas

Presented by the Garcia Center for the Arts