Everyone knows that the biggest day of Christmas is December 25, right?
Wrong.
In Mexico and many Hispanic cultures, Christmas Eve, December 24, takes the spotlight. Hispanic Christmas traditions keep many Christmas elements we recognize, like Christmas trees and Santa, but also put unique twists on time-honored Christmas messages.
As with all Christian interpretations of Christmas, Hispanic festivals are rooted in the birth of Jesus and the journey of the Three Wise Men. Events start in early December and go well into the New Year.
Let’s step into some stirrups and take a metaphorical donkey ride not to Bethlehem but through the wonderful world of Hispanic Christmas traditions, with a focus on Mexico.
Hispanic Christmas Traditions: When Is Christmas?
Many Spanish-speaking countries focus on December 24, Christmas Eve, as the most important part of the holiday. In Mexico, for example, this is known as Nochebuena or the “good night”. Events climax in a midnight mass as people await the birth of Jesus, el niño.
December 24th is a big day, with families gathering to eat, sing, and party before heading to midnight mass. Mexicans build up to Christmas throughout the month, with processions, Christmas carols in Spanish, and nativity scenes alongside Christmas trees and Santa Claus. And there’s always time and space for dancing, piñatas, and fireworks.
How Did Christmas Arrive in the Americas?
The indigenous cultures of the Americas knew nothing of Jesus, Christmas, or Christianity until the colonizer Christopher Columbus landed on October 12, 1492.
Columbus sought wealth, riches, and new souls to convert to Christianity. Spain was a devout Roman Catholic country at the time. As its empire spread throughout the Americas, so did the Catholic religion through the priests that followed Columbus’ expedition.
The colonizing Christmas celebrations intertwined with local practices and beliefs to help create the unique Latin American Christmas festivities we see today.
What Is the Mexican Christmas Calendar of Events?
In many countries, Black Friday sales mark the start of the consumer countdown to Christmas. This relatively new phenomenon shows how quickly traditions can start.
In Mexico, things are a little more drawn out than a rush to find a bargain. Christmas spans three months, starting on December 12 and lasting until February 2. Here’s a quick rundown of events:
- December 8: Día de la Inmaculada Concepción — Day of the Immaculate Conception
- December 12: Dia de la Virgin de Guadalupe — Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe
- December 16–24: Las Posadas — The Inns
- December 24: Nochebuena — Christmas Eve
- December 25: Nochebuena (continued) — Christmas Day
- December 28: Dia de Los Santos Inocentes — Day of the Sainted Innocents
- January 6 : Dia de Los Tres Reyes Magos — Three Kings Day
- February 2: La Candelaria — Candlemas
Let’s take a closer look at how each stage builds up to Nochebuena.
El Día de la Inmaculada Concepción
El Día de la Inmaculada Concepción on December 8 celebrates not the conception of the baby Jesus but that of the Virgin Mary.
It’s a national holiday in Spain but not in Mexico. The Day of the Immaculate Conception kickstarts Christmas celebrations in Mexico, and many people attend mass. There may be parties and fireworks. San Juan de Los Lagos in northeastern Jalisco is famed for its street festivals, food stalls, and music. Look out for a delicious Christmas punch called ponche, similar to hot apple cider. Christmas decorations start to appear in streets and homes, and people build nativity scenes.
Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe
The Virgin of Guadalupe is the Virgin Mary, except she appeared to Mexican peasant Juan Diego in 1531. According to legend, she spoke to Juan Diego in the Nahuatl language, and a church was built in her honor in Mexico City, which still stands today.
Millions of Mexicans make a pilgrimage to the Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe on December 12 for mass, with some camping out for up to a week before. Some people build altars of the Virgin in their homes, surrounded by candles and flowers. Nationwide, many attend masses, with children dressing in traditional costumes.
Food, of course, plays a significant part in the day, and a big feast is held. Traditional foods may include:
- Tamales: A corn-based dough is mixed with meat, beans, or cheese, then steamed in a corn husk.
- Pozole: This soup or stew is made from hominy with meat, chile peppers, onion, garlic, and sometimes radishes and avocados.
- Buñuelos: These sweet treats consist of fried dough served with syrup, sugar, cinnamon or all of those simultaneously.
Las Posadas
One of the most famous parts of the Christmas story (and most beloved Latin American Christmas tradition) is that of Mary and Joseph seeking shelter on their way to Bethlehem. Las Posadas translates as “lodges” or “inns” in English and relates to Mary and Joseph’s fabled search for somewhere to stay.
In Mexico, between December 16-24, Las Posadas reenact this search for shelter through street processions. Children and families walk between houses singing the traditional Las Posadas song, asking the residents for somewhere to stay. The people outside sing verses asking to be let in while those inside respond.
Following the song, lodging is initially refused until the “inn keepers” realize it’s Mary and Joseph seeking refuge. Upon letting them in, everyone sings lines celebrating a happy night to be with the Mother of God.
Many processions finish the evening at someone’s house prepared for a fiesta. Food, drink, piñatas, and merriment follow. If you hear that Los Posadas is happening, it invariably means a party.
You may also hear villancicos, which are Mexican Christmas carols. Some are traditional carols from Spain, others are translations of popular English-language carols, such as “Silent Night,” while others are unique to Mexico. Perhaps the most famous Mexican villancico is “Los Peces en el Río,” the Fishes in the River.
Nacimientos in Hispanic Christmas Traditions
Christmas trees are popular across Latin American countries, in homes, and in malls, but there are other holiday traditions besides these. A vital element of Hispanic Christmas traditions starts on the same day as Los Posadas; nacimientos, or the birth of the baby Jesus.
Nacimientos are elaborate nativity scenes people make at home, work, schools, and churches—anywhere could house a nativity. Some reach almost biblical proportions, with enormous figures. Each passing day sees characters added to the display as the story of the birth of Jesus unfolds. The baby Jesus is popped into place on December 24, and the three Kings, or Three Wise Men, arrive on the evening of January 5.
Figurines in nacimientos may be made of wood, pottery, tin, glass, or wax. They’re often adorned with bright flowers and fruits to make for visually stunning pieces. Other names for the nacimientos and the nativity include mangers, belenes, and pesebres.
Some people reenact versions of the nativity story theater productions called pastorelas.
Christmas Eve
Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve, sees one final posada followed by midnight mass, then a celebratory family meal. Food could include tamales, buñuelos, cod, and even turkey.
Midnight mass on Christmas Eve is also known as La Misa del Gallo (or Misa de Gallo), which means Rooster Mass in English. The name lends itself to the mass because it marks the birth of the baby Jesus as the bells toll midnight on Christmas Eve.
Both before and after mass, expect to see and hear fireworks, carols, and villancicos. A popular song is “Mi Burrito Sabanero, Juana,” written in 1972 by Hugo Blanco of Venezuela, about someone’s journey to Bethlehem by donkey.
While many American children wake up early to catch Santa Claus and hear a cheery “ho, ho, ho,” Mexican parties have been known to go on well into the wee hours of Christmas Day.
Some people give presents on Christmas Eve rather than on Christmas Day, while others wait for January 6 when the Three Wise Men arrive. Friends and family also gift poinsettia flowers (flores de nochebuena) with their stunning red and green foliage.
For fans of the more obscure, head to Oaxaca in Mexico on December 23 to enjoy the Night of the Radishes. People compete to carve the most elaborate radish sculpture. What’s not to like?
El Día de Los Santos Inocentes
El Día de Los Santos Innocentes means the Day of the Sainted Innocents. According to the bible, the day marks when Herod reportedly slaughtered hundreds of babies recently born in Bethlehem as he sought the recently-born baby Jesus.
In Mexico, the day has taken a lighter twist. On December 28, people have 24 hours to crack jokes with friends. The jokes can be childish up to acidic, and those telling them are called el inocente, or the innocent one.
Dia de Los Tres Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day)
The Three Wise Men are similarly called the Three Kings (Los Reyes in Spanish).
Epiphany, held on January 6, marks when the three travelers are believed to have arrived at a stable in Bethlehem to bestow gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh on baby Jesus. Children in Mexico may receive presents on this day to symbolize those that the Three Wise Men brought.
It’s customary to share sweet bread called Rosca de Reyes on Epiphany. This wreath-shaped treat often has small figurines of baby Jesus hidden in the dough. Whoever finds one has to host the final part of Mexico’s Christmas celebration, Día de la Candelaria.
Día de la Candelaria
Having started on December 8, Mexico closes its Christmas celebrations on February 2 with El Día de la Candelaria, or Candlemas. The day begins with a religious feel as people take their figurines of Christ to a church for blessing.
Once the ceremonies are over, it’s time to head to the person’s house who found a baby Jesus in the Rosca de Reyes cake. There’s time for another feast, often with tamales, and the 10-month wait begins for a new Christmas.
How Do Other Latin American Countries Celebrate Christmas?
There are many Spanish-speaking countries, all with their ways of celebrating the days leading up to Christmas. We’ll cover just a few of these Christmas-time festivities, from chicken soup to candles and those that banned Santa. (Yes, it’s true!)
What’s La Parranda in Puerto Rico?
In Puerto Rico, the Christmas Eve tradition known as La Parranda is equally festive. Friends and family gather at around 10 p.m. to sing carols, also known as aguinaldos, in front of other friends or families’ houses.
The homeowner invites the singers in for food and drinks. After about an hour, the host and invited guests head to sing aguinaldos in front of someone else’s home. This ever-growing and merry band of singers and partygoers keep repeating and gathering participants until the early hours.
In the wee hours, someone serves chicken soup that fills everyone’s bellies before everyone makes it home as dawn breaks.
What Is Colombia’s El Día de Los Velitas?
El Dia de Las Velitas, or the Day of the Little Candles, is how Colombia kickstarts its Christmas season.
On the eve of the Immaculate Conception, December 7, thousands of candles, lights, and lanterns are lit across the country. They cover homes, plazas, and buildings, and people also light candles in churches.
This Christmas tradition started in 1854 when Pope Pius IX declared the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary as part of the Catholic Church’s official “incontrovertible truth.”
Countries in Latin America Where Christmas Is Different
In Ecuador, carol singing, prayers, and Christmas excitement begin on December 15, nine days before Nochebuena. Known as la novena, or ninth, each night represents a month of Mary’s pregnancy with Jesus.
It’s all about wearing something new in El Salvador on Nochebuena, dubbed el estreno. People put on something new for December 24, and then lots of folk head to the beach for Christmas Day.
Chile adds a little bit of linguistic confusion to its Christmas celebrations. People wish each other “¡Feliz Pascua!” at Christmas. That’s fine until you realize that it means “Happy Easter!”
The roots of this confusion grew from the ancient Hebrew word for Passover, pesach. That became Pashka in Aramaic, pascha in Greek, and then pascua in Spanish. Some countries kept pascua as a general term for several Christian festivals, while others separated them.
Uruguay is officially a secular country. Its government called Christmas Day the “Day of the Family” and Easter Holy Week “The Week of Tourism.” There are plenty of Christmas trees, lights, and decorations to see, though.
But it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Christmas. Cuba once canceled Christmas from 1969-1997. It returned to a national holiday before the visit of Pope John Paul II in January 1998. Peru joined in with a ban on Santa Claus appearing on TV or radio in 1972.
Enjoy Hispanic Christmas Traditions Your Way
Spanish-speaking countries across Latin America provide rich and varied Hispanic Christmas traditions.
In Mexico, celebrations last almost three months, covering everything from the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary to the story of Jesus’ birth, and ending with a feast in February. Food, fiestas, family, and friends play a pivotal role in gatherings. There are carols, parties, prayers, and strong connections to the Catholic Christmas message.
One of the most significant differences is the exchange of gifts on December 24 or January 6 instead of December 25. Yet Santa Claus, Christmas trees, decorations, and lights all brighten up Latin American Christmasses.
However you observe the festive period, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
Brought to you by amigoenergy
All images licensed from Adobe Stock.
Featured image: