Posada

Children perform the Posada parades from December 16th to Christmas Eve. They act the story of Mary and Joseph looking for a room at an Inn, and 9 houses are visited, which are decorated with paper lanterns, evergreens, and moss. Mary and Joseph are not turned away again when the procession reaches the last house, and they are invited inside. Everyone in the parade enters, and they share prayers with the host. Then they celebrate with a party, which always includes a piñata. Following the last Posada on Christmas Eve, the Misa de Noche Buena Midnight Mass is one of the important Mexican Christmas traditions. Afterwards, relatives and close friends will join together for a large feast. Instead of writing their requests to Santa Claus, the children write to one of the Three Kings: Melchor, Gaspar, or
Rosca de Reyes is eaten. This bread is decorated with dried and candied fruits that symbolize the crowns of the Kings, and a traditional figurine inside represents Mary and Joseph. The one who receives the slice of bread with the figurine hosts the dinner on February 2nd, the end of the Christmas Season. An American minister to Mexico, Joel Poinsett, saw a native plant turn bright red at Christmastime, and it reminded him of the Star of Bethlehem. The poinsettia plant has been a symbol of Christmas in the US since 1820. It was known as the “flower of the blessed night”, and it's frequently used to decorate Mexican Nativity processions. Mithra, the god of the regenerating sun, was reborn every year on December 25th. Mithraism was declared the official religion of the Roman Empire, and the Birthday of the Invincible Sun became an official holiday. Constantine the Great allowed the worship of Christianity, and the two celebrations were brought together on the same