December 2020
December 2020
Posada Traditions - Journeying in Advent
What is Posada
Las Posadas is Spanish for “the Inns” Las Posadas is a traditional festival, which lasts for nine days from 16th to 24th December.
It is based on the text from chapter 2 of Luke’s Gospel:
And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
It symbolises the hardship of Mary and Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem and their difficulty in finding a place to stay where Mary could have her baby.
Posada is a period of time during Advent when figures from the nativity story travel around different households in the community and stay there for one night. Each night during the festival a family in a neighbourhood takes it in turns to host the Posada and act as innkeepers for the night. The other villagers process from house to house as pilgrims, singing a traditional hymn requesting a bed for the night for the weary Mary and Joseph.
The procession is headed by a child carrying a candle in a paper lantern. Four young people follow, carrying small statues of Joseph and Mary riding on a donkey. The procession is then joined by the rest of the children, then adults and finally musicians with each pilgrim carries a candle. The procession visits three houses. Mary and Joseph are refused entry at the first two houses, before being admitted at the third.
At each house it divides into two, with one group singing the parts of Mary and Joseph asking for shelter. The other group sings the innkeeper who either refuses, or finally allows entry. When third innkeeper has sung a song of welcome, the Mary and Joseph figures are brought inside and placed in the family nativity scene.
(Pilgrims, outside)
“Mi nombre es José,
Mi esposa es María.
y madre va ser,
del Divino Verbo.”
“My name is Joseph,
My wife is Mary.
and mother to be
of the Divine Word.”
(Inn keepers, inside)
“Posada os brindo,
Santos Peregrinos,
y disculpa os pido,
no os reconocía.”
“The inn I give you,
pilgrim saints,
and offer an apology,
for not recognizing you.”
The pilgrims kneel around, pray the Rosary and sing traditional carols. The original Posada script is thought to have been written by St John of the Cross.
The festival is popular in Latin America, especially Mexico, where young people traditionally dress as Joseph and Mary riding a real donkey, accompanied by angels and shepherds, and stay at a different house each night.
Posada in Chile
Posada in Bolivia
Posada parties are not only marked by traditional rituals but also the celebration at the ‘inn’ includes a festival feast on the patio, where children are often given a colourful pinata (sometimes shaped like a star). They sing a special song, and take it in turns to be blindfold and hit the pinata with a stick, until oranges, tangerines, peanuts in their shells, candy canes and other sweets fall out.
On the final night of the festival, Christmas Eve, the whole community acts out a play of the nativity. Sometimes on Christmas Eve the procession goes on to the church for Midnight Mass, where the figures of the Holy Family are placed in the church nativity scene, and, after midnight, the figure of the Christ Child is added.
Some churches and schools have now adapted the traditions of posada and created journeys within their own community as part of advent.
Posada in Ecuador
Who are Mary and Joseph?
So why are we remembering a journey taken over 2000 years ago by an ordinary young woman and her fiancé?
Mary and Joseph’s real-life counterparts lived in the Middle East around 0 BC (their baby, Jesus, was probably born around 4 BC). Mary was a young Jewish woman from a small village called Nazareth, engaged to be married to the carpenter Joseph when she was told by the angel Gabriel that she was going to become pregnant by the Holy Spirit. This was quite a shock, particularly as the angel told her that the baby boy was to be called Jesus because he would be the saviour of the world.
Joseph needed some persuading – by another angel – that Mary had not been unfaithful to him, but agreed to marry Mary and look after the baby as if he was his own. You can read these stories in the Bible in Luke 1:26-38 and Matthew 1:18-25.
At the time Israel was occupied by the Romans and when Mary’s pregnancy was well advanced, she had to travel, with Joseph to the city of his ancestors, Bethlehem, so that they could be counted in a census. The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was about 70 miles as the crow flies, but in order to avoid hilly and dangerous routes, they probably travelled between 80 and 90 miles during the course of a week or so.
The Bible does not tell us how they travelled – as a poor family they might not have been able to have afforded a donkey, but with many travellers on the same road, kind neighbours might have lent her a seat on an animal or in a cart to rest her weary legs. We also do not know exactly when they arrived in Bethlehem or how long it was before the baby was born. We do know that there was no room for them at the inn – translated to mean a lodging house or a guest room in a family home. Tradition has it, that they found shelter where the animals were kept, probably a cave like space under a house. It was in these difficult surroundings Mary gave birth to her baby. Again, we do not know whether she had help, we just know that when he was born they wrapped him in swaddling clothes and used the animal’s food trough as a makeshift crib.
As you prepare for Christmas this year, spare a thought for Mary and Joseph on their journey. On Christmas Day, think of the new-born who, although he such a strange and humble beginning, would grow up to be the most talked about, written about and influential man who has ever lived, and who Christians believe was actually God!
Exploring Posada as a school
( an opportunity for church and school to work together)
Static and Silent Posada
Although the Posada is about journey if Mary and Joseph are not able to travel very far this year, then set up an area in your classroom where pupils can spend some time reflecting what it might have been like for Mary and Joseph. Link this to the theme of hope and how Christians believe that Jesus birth offers hope.
Your area could include:
- A nativity scene (remember to leave the wise men somewhere else in the room, they will join us later at Epiphany)
- Your advent wreath and the reminder of the first candle symbolising HOPE
- Some outlines of footprints for pupils, a reminder of journeying through advent and thee journey that Mary and Joseph took
- Encourage pupils to write their hopes for the future on the footprints and display them around the nativity scene
Helping others this Advent
Why not include a practical way your pupils can be hope in their community this Christmas. Do a reverse advent calendar and add a food item to the class box each day of advent to gift to your local foodbank.
A posada journey for your class
You could work with your local church for Posada to travel around your community. To abide by the restrictions put in place to limit the spread of the Corona virus, you could plan a virtual Posada journey represented by a picture ( you could use the image of the Bolivian nativity provided or a picture of the nativity scene in your school or local church with the words ‘Mary and Joseph are here’).
Each child in your class is given an assigned day during advent to display the picture in their house and think about what Mary and Joseph must have been feeling as they travelled to Bethlehem to become the parents of Jesus. You could also provide a digital copy of the Christmas story and some I wonder questions for families to think about together at home
Adults linked to school could also be assigned days to display the picture too
Please put the ‘Mary and Joseph are here’ poster in your window so that others know that they are ‘visiting’ on your day,
and remove it when your slot is over, so that they can ‘appear’ somewhere else from our class.
On Christmas day encourage everybody to put it in their window
You could ask everyone to take a photo of the picture on display in their household and send it to school with some comments to add to the Posada Journey Journal
You could include the Posada prayer if appropriate
Posada Prayer
As we welcome these travellers in to our home/class . . .
We remember all those who are travelling tonight
We remember all those who are looking for rest and shelter tonight
We remember all those who care for and comfort those in need
May God bless us and all those we love as we journey with
Mary and Joseph towards celebrating the birth of Jesus at Christmas.
Amen
Gabriel's Visit & Mary's Journey to Elizabeth
Gather
Set up your worship table or centre of the class circle with the Advent time (purple) cloth and take out the Bible, cross and light candle.
Explain to pupils that purple is the colour used in church during Advent, It will change to gold and white on Christmas day
Opening responses
If you have school responses or opening words for collective worship say them together or say the following:
We take out the Bible
– and think about God the Father
We take out the cross
– and think about God’s son, Jesus
We light the candle
– and think about God , the Holy Spirit
Today we are continuing to journey through Advent and we are beginning our journey through the Christmas story ( you could choose to light a candle on your advent wreath)
Big question
Have you ever received good news? How did you feel when you heard this good news?
Engage
Read Luke 1:39-56 A woman called Mary – Rhyming Bible Or A surprise for Mary and Mary’s special song ( you can access the story here ) You can use the items in the box to help tell the story A brief overview for the teacher Wondering questions
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Respond
If you are doing the posada reflection station see Posada page then you could encourage pupils to write their hope for the future on the footprints and place them around the nativity scene. Footprint pdf
Alternatively
Think about what the angel said, ‘nothing is impossible with God.’ Think about your hopes and dreams, however impossible they may feel. If you want to, you can write or draw them onto strips of paper, and then add link them together to make paper chains.
Send
Dear God
As we journey through Advent together Please help us to use this season of Advent to prepare ourselves so that we can enjoy Christmas. Help us to think about how we can be hope to others.
Amen
Notes for the Teacher
In the collective worship box each week
Cloth with the colour of the Church year ( this week is purple)
- Bible
- Cross
- Candle
For this week
- Your class advent wreath
- A dustpan and brush
- An angel Christmas decoration or image
- A sheet of music or some music notes
Making links
This connects with the concept of incarnation and panel 5 of the Understanding Christianity frieze you could include the incarnation concept symbol in your box.
Further resources
In Luke 1:46-56 the Bible records a song of praise that Mary sang when she arrived at Elizabeth’s. It is often called the Magnificat. As a class you could listen to different versions of the song, taking time to think about the words and their meaning.
Pupils could write their own song or poem about something that is important or special to them.
The Journey to Bethlehem
Gather
Set up your worship table or centre of the class circle with the Advent time (purple) cloth and take out the Bible, cross and light candle.
Explain to pupils that purple is the colour used in church during Advent, It will change to gold and white on Christmas day
Opening responses
If you have school responses or opening words for collective worship say them together or say the following:
We take out the Bible
– and think about God the Father
We take out the cross
– and think about God’s son, Jesus
We light the candle
– and think about God , the Holy Spirit
Today we are continuing to journey through Advent and we are continuing our journey through the Christmas story
Big question
Have you ever been on a long journey? What did you do to prepare?
Engage
Read Luke 2:1-7
Or A Long Journey from the Lion Storyteller Christmas book
(you could choose to light a candle on your advent wreath)
The second candle represents FAITH. It is sometimes called the “Bethlehem Candle” as a reminder of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-7)
A brief overview for the teacher
Israel was under Roman occupation. The Roman Emperor, Augsutus, wanted to make sure that everybody had been counted and registered – probably to make sure that they paid their taxes. This was arranged by everyone returning to the place where their tribe originally came from. Joseph was from the line of David, and so he had to travel to Bethlehem. By this time Mary was heavily pregnant, but they took the journey which would have taken 4-7 days from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The Bible doesn’t mention a donkey, but as there were many people travelling too, some kind person might have given a tired Mary a ride for a bit. When they arrived in the city, there was no room for them to stay in any of the inns, and so they ended up in an animal shelter. Not the place you would expect for the birth of the Saviour of the World!
Wondering questions
- I wonder what part of the story you liked best?
- I wonder what part of the story was the most important?
- I wonder what was on Mary’s mind on this long, slow journey?
- I wonder what was on Josephs mind during this long , slow journey?
- I wonder what you would feel like when there seems to be no place for you?
- I wonder if a stable was the right place for God’s son to be born?
Respond
Taken from Christmas journey https://www.prayerspacesinschools.com/resources/89
This reflection activity continues the theme of using footprints for our reflections on journeying towards Christmas
If you are doing the Posada reflection station then you could encourage pupils to write on the footprints and place them around the nativity scene. To find out more click on this months’ Posada tab.
In the Christmas story, Mary and Joseph travel at least 110 kilometres from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Life is a bit like a long journey, and we have lots of experiences along the way. This year is nearly over. What are the big things that you remember from this year? What happened? What was good about it? Was anything bad, or sad? If you want to, you can write or draw about an important moment onto one of the footprints . . . and then leave it behind as you begin your journey into the New Year. Printable Footprint
Send
Dear God
As we journey through advent together Please help us to use this season of Advent to prepare ourselves so that we can enjoy Christmas. Help us to think about how we can be hope to others.
Amen
Notes for the Teacher
In the collective worship box each week
Cloth with the colour of the Church year ( this week is purple)
- Bible
- Cross
- Candle
For this week
- Your class advent wreath
- Figures from your nativity scene of Mary and Joseph
- A map of the journey showing the distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem
Making links
This connects with the concept of incarnation and panel 5 of the Understanding Christianity frieze you could include the incarnation concept symbol in your box.
Further resources
Beginners Bible video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD8GqTPJebI
Crossroads Kids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5m2GE6DFeM
Pages 40-41 of Bible Infographics for kids
