Christmas in Mexico

Christmas in Mexico is a religious holiday where many traditions follow the Christian beliefs of Jesus’ birth.

Celebrations start nine days before Christmas with las posadas. A posada is a religious parade of families and friends visiting their neighbors. Children dress as Mary and Joseph and look for a place to stay. Eventually, a neighbor invites the group in and they celebrate with a party.

Mexicans decorate their houses with poinsettia plants.

Streets and walkways are decorated with luminaries. Luminaries are small paper bags filled with sand and small candles.

In Mexico, children play a game called piñata. Piñata means gift. It is a paper mache figure filled with presents. The children take turns hitting the piñata with a stick until it breaks and the hidden candy and toys fall to the ground.

Families go to church at midnight on Christmas Eve and spend December 25th with their families eating a large feast.

Children receive their gifts on January 5, the eve of Twelfth Night. Children leave their shoes on the windowsill and find them filled

with gifts in the morning.