I grew up in Wisconsin. Religious diversity when I was a kid meant you were either Catholic or Lutheran and ethnic diversity meant you were either Polish or German. But what these groups had in common was the celebration of St. Nicholas Day. St. Nicholas was a 4th century Christian bishop in what is today Turkey whose biography might have played a role in the creation of the modern Santa Claus. One of the myths surrounding St. Nicholas was that he secretly gave gifts to children.
Anyhow, we all celebrated December 6 (St. Nicholas Day) by putting out a sock the night before and that next morning we discovered little treats such as a candy cane, some small tidbit of chocolate, and a tangerine. Now, that last item might sound out of place in 2019 when citrus is readily available 12 months out of the year. But, in the 1970s the country did not import citrus and thus the only time we got citrus was starting in December. Don't ask me about the grape boycott. I'm still ticked off about that. My parents supported the boycott. All I knew was that I couldn't get any grapes.
Sometimes we would get a Hot Wheels (or the alternative Match Box). But nothing big. St. Nicholas Day was not a religious day for my brothers and I as much as it was getting something special with 19 long days ahead of us before Christmas. Well, we were attending St. Bernadette Church so we did have mass that day, but for the most part St. Nicholas Day was a secular holiday.
My favorite wife grew up in the high plains and west coast. She never heard of St. Nick's Day. But as I enjoy giving gifts, I introduced the holiday to her early on in our relationship and now our son looks forward to placing a sock on the kitchen table before going to bed on December 5th. Although I will say that the gifts have gone beyond a few pieces of candy and a tangerine. Now St. Nick brings pajamas, some toy, as well as that first candy cane and tangerine. I won't buy imported fruit. The taste is so bland because the fruit has to be shipped when its immature so as not to rot.
And, my favorite wife's gifts have gotten more extravagant over time. St. Nick is generous, indeed. I will make a special dinner on the 6th. A mini feast -Thanksmass I call it, with early winter root vegetables, a game bird, and something Provencal as a tip of the hat when we used to travel to Italy and France over Christmas.
So, what particular cultural adaptations have made it into your family?
I would say that around Christmas time I didn’t really grow up with any traditions, apart from celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve and opening the gifts right at 12 am. However, when I was around 15 my mom took me to Guanajuato for the first time during December, and that’s where I discovered the wonderful tradition I wanted to be part of. From December first to twelve we have what we call “cuarteles,” which are sort of mini parties, celebrating the Virgin Mary, in different blocks each day. The parties are hosted by all the neighbors in that block that day and they hire mariachis, Banda, and serves food to any person that shows up. The best part of the day are the torito and dansa performances, and of course every performer gets food as well and are allowed to go into most restrooms if needed because they are performing all day all around the town. The night comes to an end with the “cera,” which is where anybody who wants to or made a promise during the year to the Virgin Mary and all performers walks or some crawl all through the town, and some carry huge crosses or statues with them. Every night officially ends with “El Castillo,” meaning the castle, which is the Church in the town and every night it is lit up with so many fireworks. I love seeing the cuarteles even if some might say we are seeing the same thing over for twelve days, it’s an amazing experience to see every day. After the cuarteles are over with then the posadas starts and usually for those nights I go to Church everyday, then we sing so many songs at the end and at the end we get candy. On our way back to the house we might stop at other houses because a lot of people decided to host their own posadas. Finally, Christmas ends with the rocking of Baby Jesus. Everybody has their own party outside with family and friends, but once the night is about to end strangers gather around and rock back and forward while singing to Baby Jesus in order to let him rest for the year again. While doing that every person gets small candles and candy, and we keep moving on to the next house. Although Christmas is so different in Mexico then here, I love every part of it over there because there’s no Santa Claus or presents, but instead we show kindness and open arms to everybody.
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Navidad y las posadas which is the Christmas season is one of the traditions we have adapted in our family. The celebration begins with a procession in which the participants hold candles and sing Christmas carols. Once inside the house, there is a celebration which can vary from a big fancy party or a casual neighborhood to a small get-together among friends. Often the festivities begin with a short religious service which includes a Bible reading and prayer. On each of the nine nights, a different quality will be meditated upon: humility, strength, detachment, charity, trust, justice, purity, joy, and generosity. After the religious service, the hosts distribute food to their guests, often tamales and a hot drink such as ponche or atole. Then the guests break piñatas, and the children are given candy. It a really nice tradition for family and it never gets old to see everyone together and having fun.
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