Before you retire in Mexico, read this humorous, practical e-book.
Welcome to Mexico Vistas
Mexico Article
This is a selection made from among articles on Mexico. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for future reading, click here.
Twas The Night Before Navidad in Mexico
from: Kriss HammondTwas The Night Before Navidad in Mexico
Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com
To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link:
http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/globe02/Mexico02/navidad/navidad.html
Mexico City - Christmas celebrations in Mexico are marked by diverse traditions and attractions which, combined with the sunny weather, drive thousands of tourists to the country during the winter months of December and January. It is during this time that visitors to Mexico will experience the unique traditions and warm hospitality of the country at its best as Mexicans countrywide celebrate the ultimate fiesta with sumptuous regional holiday cuisine, colorful and ornate decorations and traditional festivities.
One of the most impressive Mexican holiday customs are Las Posadas. A longstanding tradition carried out nightly from December 16 through 24, the Posadas are a religious and social celebration, paying homage to the biblical journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Before becoming an annual tradition, the nine days of processions were created to teach the story of the birth of Jesus and to coincide with the nine day Fiestas of the Sun, which celebrated the virgin birth of the Aztec Sun God, Huitzilopochtli.
On the nine nights before Christmas, a party is held in a neighborhood home. At dusk, the guests gather outside the home to watch a procession of children and musicians dressed in colorful robes and bathed in the glow of candlelight. Once the singing procession reaches the home, one half enters the home while the other half remains outside to sing a plea for shelter inspired by Mary and Joseph's plea to the innkeeper. The doors are then opened, and the celebration begins with plenty of food and drink for all. The last posada, held on December 24, is followed by midnight mass.
Pastorelas (or shepherds' plays) are another key aspect of the Mexican Christmas tradition. Pastorelas are dramatic pieces which represent various historical scenarios, including the trip of Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary to register themselves in the Roman census, the hardships they suffered while searching in vain for shelter, or one of the most common, the shepherd's adoration of Baby Jesus.
The plays date back to Mexico's Colonial period when Catholic missionaries used these dramatizations to convert natives to Christianity. The first known pastorela to have been performed was "Los Reyes" (the three kings) acted out by missionaries in 1527 in Cuernavaca. Today, they are often performed by professional groups, but also by children and amateurs.
Mexico welcomes the New Year with an abundance of music, dancing and fireworks. Streets are filled with revelers, friends and families congregating for parties that often last till dawn. One tradition calls for eating twelve grapes, one with each stroke of the chiming bell, at midnight for luck in the coming 12 months. New Year's Day is usually a quiet time of rest and reflection.
To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link:
http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/globe02/Mexico02/navidad/navidad.html
Kriss Hammond, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com
About the Author
Kriss Hammond, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com Leave Your email next to the logo for FREE e travel newsletter.
 |
 |
Other Mexico related Articles
Mariachi Music - Origins
Vicente Fernandez
Do you want to contribute to our site : submit your articles HERE
Warning: file(http://www.searchfeed.com/rd/feed/TextFeed.jsp?trackID=P2127485710&pID=54656&cat=Mexico&nl=5&page=1&excID=) [function.file]: failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found
in /home/titanad/public_html/mexicovistas/datas/searchfeed.php on line 8
Mexico Specific links
Mexico News
Parents of Frenchwoman Cassez confident Mexico will free her
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - The parents of a Frenchwoman imprisoned in Mexico for kidnapping said on Tuesday they are optimistic the Supreme Court will free her after reviewing the case that has caused a diplomatic rift between France and Mexico. Florence Cassez, 37, has maintained she is innocent since her arrest in 2005, but the Mexican government has defended the conviction that sentenced her to ...
Read more...Mexico leftist moves into second in presidential poll
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's leftist presidential hopeful Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador pushed into second place behind opposition frontrunner Enrique Pena Nieto with just seven weeks to go before the vote, a poll showed on Tuesday. Lopez Obrador, who narrowly lost the 2006 race to President Felipe Calderon, had 20.5 percent support in the poll by Consulta Mitofsky, up 1.4 percent from last ...
Read more...Front-runner in Mexico race pledges plurality
The front-running candidate in the race for Mexico's July 1 presidential election pledged on Monday to respect transparency and plurality if elected, things his Institutional Revolutionary Party was not known for during 71 years in power.
Read more...Being a Journalist in Mexico Can Be Deadly
Marco Avila, a reporter in Sonora, Mexico was buried over the weekend after being found in a black garbage bag. He's the sixth current or former journalist killed in Mexico in less than a month. Considering the number of gruesome atrocities committed by the country's drug cartels (the latest being the 49 decapitated, hand-less, foot-less bodies found on the side of a highway), it makes sense ...
Read more...Mexico Peso Touches Strongest in Week on Efforts to Boost Growth
Mexico’s peso reached the strongest level in a week on speculation European leaders will step up efforts to support global growth, encouraging demand for the Latin American nation’s higher-yielding assets.
Read more...
