Devotion and Ritual in Mexican Folk Art

Ushered in by the Feast Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe and ending with Candlemas in early February, which commemorates the Flight into Egypt, Christmas in Mexico is truly a season of celebration. It begins on the 16th of December with the Posadas, nine consecutive nights of ceremony in which groups of families travel from house to house, re-enacting Mary and Joseph's search for lodging before the birth of Christ. Although quite solemn and religious in nature, the Posadas traditionally end in merriment, with the breaking of a pinata, food, drink and dance.

Also integral to this season is the creation of elaborate nacimientos, or nativity scenes. At times filling entire rooms, they are an eclectic re-creation of the countryside surrounding Bethlehem, where figures of drinking devils stand next to the Three Wise Men, all celebrating Christ's birth. Christmas Eve, known in Mexico as La Noche Buena, or the Good Night, is reserved for the placing of the Infant Jesus into his manger, an act of great honor often carried out by specially chosen godparents. Christmas Day, rather that being a day full of activity, is generally quietly; it is a time set aside for recovery from the previous weeks' festivities. The tradition of gift-giving is reserved for January 6, the Day of the Three Kings (El Dia de los Tres Reyes). Children's shoes replace stockings as repositories for gifts, delivered not by Santa, but the Three wise Men.

Christmas marks the beginning of the pastorelas, or pastores, the modern version of a medieval miracle play brought to Mexico from Europe in the early days of the Conquest. In large towns it is performed in a public square by elaborately costumed actors, while in small towns it is dramatized by troupes of itinerant actors who travel from village to village. The plot of the pastores follows the shepherd's journey to Bethlehem to visit the newborn Christ. During its performance the audience is told of the Creation, the fall of Lucifer, the fall of Adam and Eve, and the formation of the seven deadly sins. As is the case with all celebrations in Mexico, the customs and traditions of the region in which it is performed largely dictate its delivery.