Felicidades y Merry Christmas to you all!
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| Some of the kids at the Guardaria singing for the Pastorella |
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| Me with the Guardaria Christmas Tree |
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas! We finished up with the Guardaria (preschool) kids at the end of last week with a Posada/Christmas Concert. It was a pretty full house with parents and family pretty much wall to wall. The kids started with a pastorella (Christmas play) and finished with "Feliz Navidad" complete with movements and maracas and "Christmas is Coming" in English. In Mexico, it is normal for devils to be in the pastorellas. This was no exception. In the guardaria pastorella the devils came in and attempted to stop the shepherds from coming to see the baby Jesus, but, in the nick of time, the angels swooped in and fought with the devils, vanquished them, and afterward helped the shepherds on their way to Bethlehem. It was pretty cute. The kids got into the music that we had been practicing with them for the last month. And the two year-olds got into the dancing, some singing, and shaking the maracas we had made with them out of paper rolls, paint, paper, and rice.
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| Asking "Posada" outside the church doors |
Last night we "pedimos posada" or asked for a room in the inn. Half of the congregation stood outside the closed church doors by candlelight and sang in the voice of Joseph asking to be let in for the night, while the other part of the congregation was gathered inside the church singing the part of the innkeeper. That part of the service was beautiful. After the "innkeepers" let us in the church, the priest gave a blessing and we were sent outside for ponche and multiple pinatas. Ponche tastes a little bit like apple cider, but is made by boiling sugar, sugar cane, and many other fruits in water for hours. Each cup is served with the liquid and boiled fruit and sugar cane in the glass. It is pretty tasty. They had a bunch of pinatas for the kids out in the courtyard, while we had a gathering and 4 pinatas for the teens/young adults and in another part of the parish. The satisfying "crack" of the clay pinatas was followed by the same mad dive for candy. Tonight we will be going to 11pm mass followed by dinner at the parish until 2am. Emma's parents are coming in for the week, while my other housemate leaves for Canada on Monday. We are looking forward to being able to spend Christmas Day together.
May the reality of the Incarnation and the Love, Joy, and Peace of Christmas be with you this season,
Much love,
Kirsten
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