‘We have not forgotten’: Philly’s Mexican, Latino communities celebrate Las Posadas

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A group of people huddle outside the doorway of Celia Jiménez’s South Philly home. Wrapped in scarves and jackets against the winter cold, they sing:

“En el nombre del cielo, 

Os pido posada,

Pues no puede andar

Mi esposa amada”. 

“In the name of heaven,

I ask you for lodging,

Because my beloved wife

Is not able to walk.”

People inside the house sing a response. The two groups trade verses until posada, or lodging, is granted. The “pilgrims” are ushered into the warm, garland-adorned home, where after more prayers and songs, steaming cups of ponche, a warm, spiced fruit drink served during the Christmas season, are passed around.

In Mexico, Guatemala and other parts of Latin America, Las Posadas are nightly celebrations in the nine days leading up to Christmas Day. Participants reenact the Gospel story of Mary and Joseph searching for lodging in Bethlehem before Jesus’ birth. They knock on door after door, asking for shelter, only to find refuge in a humble stable where Jesus is born.

Latino communities in Philadelphia have made the tradition their own, continuing to cultivate the cultural practice in both religious and secular spaces.

On a recent December evening, Celia Jímenez hosted the posada for members of her South Philadelphia Catholic church, Annunciation B.V.M. She has fond childhood memories of the tradition in her small town of San Mateo Ozoclo in Puebla, Mexico. It was a joyful time for community members to share food and drink, break open piñatas, indulge in sweets and sing Christmas carols while walking in a procession through the streets.

Jiménez has lived in Philadelphia for 15 years, but the posada she hosted at her South Philly home was the first she celebrated since arriving in the United States. She was “excited,” she said, to share the traditions with her children, and experience the “beautiful memories.”

“No nos hemos olvidado”, dijo ella. “Aunque estemos lejos, seguimos conservando eso y seguimos conservando con el mismo entusiasmo de allá. Tal vez no sea lo mismo pero tratamos, y es algo que también quisiéramos enseñarles a nuestros hijos que ojalá siguieran esta tradición, porque es muy bonito”.

“We haven’t forgotten,” she said. “Even though we’re far away we continue to preserve it and preserve it with the same enthusiasm from there. It might not be the same, but we try and it’s something that we also would like to teach to our children, who hopefully will continue this tradition because it’s really beautiful.”

Antonio Tepayolt Rojano, who led the group in song at Jiménez’s house, has been organizing community posadas since coming to Philadelphia from Puebla, Mexico, in 2000. He said as the city’s Latino community has grown, the practice of Las Posadas has become more “multicultural,” incorporating Christmas traditions and songs from Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Colombia and other parts of Latin America.

Rojano said the story of Mary and Joseph, who, according to scripture, were forced to travel to Bethlehem from their home of Nazareth, speaks to the experience of many Latino immigrants.

“Cuando uno sale de nuestro pueblo, cuando uno llega a este país, muchas veces sin saber nada, sin saber inglés, sin saber a dónde ir, a dónde recurrir, y lo mismo que le pasó a Maria y a Jose”, dijo. 

“When you leave your town, when you come to this country, many times not knowing anything, not knowing English, not knowing where to go or where to turn, that’s the same thing that happened to Mary and Joseph,” he said. 

But the actual practice of Las Posadas, he said, is an antidote to the isolation.

“Es una manera de ir integrando en esta comunidad dispersa”, dijo Rojano. 

“It’s a way to keep integrating into this scattered community,” he said. 

Beyond the traditional nine-night religious practice, posadas can also be more secular, one-day celebrations that incorporate Mexican and Latino holiday food, dance, music and cultural practices.

Artist Cesar Viveros said celebrating Las Posadas in and beyond a religious context is more important than ever.

On Dec. 14, Viveros organized “La posada: México surrealista,” in a welding workshop in North Philadelphia. More than 200 people attended the event, which featured a runway showcasing designer Julieta Zavala’s work, performances by Philly’s Mexican folk dance company for children, Ñuuxakun, and elaborate art installations by Viveros and community members.

Viveros said his goal was to transport people through time and space, weaving together the traditional food and practices of Las Posadas with performances showcasing many facets of the culture. He said he wanted to recreate the scene of a typical posada celebration in Mexico, where employees at  local businesses hosting the celebrations continue working while preparing for the festivities.

“Pudimos recrear todo ese mundo, que lo traemos en nuestra memoria”, dijo él. 

“We were able to recreate that whole world that we hold in our memory,” he said.

The gathering, Viveros said, served as a groundspring of resistance and strength for Philly’s Latino immigrants in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory.

“Tenemos que estar alerta”, dijo él. “Mientras tanto, vamos a celebrarnos, vamos a gozar el momento, vamos a reafirmar nuestra identidad. Vamos a mostrarle al mundo de lo que estamos hecho”.

“We have to be alert,” he said. “In the meantime, we’re going to celebrate, we’re going to enjoy the moment, we’re going to reaffirm our identity. We’re going to show the world what we’re made of.” 

Viveros said any social movement is “accompanied by art.”

“Usamos el arte y la cultura como nuestro propio lenguaje … y en muchos casos hasta una forma de defensa”, dijo.

“We use art and culture as our own language … and in many cases even as a form of defense,” he said.