Las Posadas, one of Latin America’s most striking holiday traditions, begins in Santa Rosa and beyond

As carolers from Resurrection Catholic Church of Santa Rosa prepare to hold Las Posadas from now till Christmas Eve, they will take part in a tradition which is especially popular in Mexico, where it dates back to the Middle Ages.|
JOSEPH TREVINO
LA PRENSA SONOMA
December 17, 2022

If you go

What: Las Posadas. A Holiday tradition from Mexico and other parts of Latin America that reenacts the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. Carolers sing as they go from a church to neighboring streets. After the candlelit procession, children often hit a piñata and Mexican sweet bread and hot drinks, like champurrado, are shared with participants.

Where: Resurrection Catholic Church, 303 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa

When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24

Contact: Angel Melendez, 707-790-9384

With carolers singing as they carry flickering candles amid the darkness of December nights, Las Posadas is one of Latin America’s most striking holiday traditions.

Beginning Friday and ending Christmas Eve, carolers from Resurrection Catholic Church of Santa Rosa are taking part in the Las Posadas tradition, which is especially popular in Mexico where it dates back to the Middle Ages.

In 1586, a Spanish missionary in Mexico obtained a papal bull from Pope Sixtus V. The bull permitted late-night masses during those days. In that tradition, Resurrection Church is reciting the Holy Rosary and offering snacks and candy for kids each evening at 7 p.m. through Dec. 24 at the Father Shaw Religious Education Building, 303 Stony Point Road.

A street procession will take place Dec. 24 that will reenact the travel of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem as they tried to find a place to stay the night, often rejected, during the first Christmas night.

Historians believe Las Posadas was a way to convert the Indigenous people of Mexico to Catholicism, by retelling the Christmas story as a sort of a people's play in the middle of the streets, during the darkest nights of the year. For many immigrants from Latin America, and especially Mexico, it’s a way to reconnect with their most intimate traditions.

Still, Las Posadas has been finding a way with non-Latinos in the U.S. It is especially popular with children and those who love the holidays.

If you go

What: Las Posadas. A Holiday tradition from Mexico and other parts of Latin America that reenacts the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. Carolers sing as they go from a church to neighboring streets. After the candlelit procession, children often hit a piñata and Mexican sweet bread and hot drinks, like champurrado, are shared with participants.

Where: Resurrection Catholic Church, 303 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa

When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24

Contact: Angel Melendez, 707-790-9384

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