Celebrating Mexican Christmas Traditions, a Beautiful & Colourful Holiday

Many years ago, my family spent Christmas away from home for the first time. We went to a resort in Mexico, and I was giddy at the idea of experiencing a different Christmas, not to mention escaping the Canadian cold. I still managed to coax everyone into a few tours outside the resort, where I fell in love with the bright decorations, festive parties, and exuberant atmosphere of the city.

Even though we went to a resort, I still managed to get a taste of Mexican Christmas traditions. I implored the family to take a few tours outside the resort to see how people were celebrating and fell in love with the brightly coloured decorations, festive parties and exuberant atmosphere that seemed to vibrate in the city.

Christmas in Mexico City

Years later, I returned to skip the resorts and head straight to Mexico City for Christmas. I came home with bags of ornaments from the marketplaces, and they now hang on my tree every year. Continuing our series on Christmas Traditions around the world, here are the heritage, cultural cornerstones, and (of course) food that create the atmosphere of a Mexican Christmas.

Las Posadas

Las Posadas runs from December 16th to 24th. Each night, family and friends gather at a different home. Posada means “inn,” and the procession from house to house represents Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter in Bethlehem.

At each posada, guests are handed small songbooks of traditional songs. The group splits in two: the “pilgrims” outside sing as Mary and Joseph ask for shelter, while the “innkeepers” inside sing back, turning them away. Eventually the innkeepers relent, the doors swing open, and everyone celebrates with food, singing, and a piñata. The best-known song begins “En el nombre del cielo” (“In the name of heaven”).

Farolito

Farolitos, also called luminarias, are paper lanterns I’ve been making since I was a child. My grandparents lived in Arizona, where Mexican influences are everywhere during the holidays. Farolitos line sidewalks and window sills in place of string lights. Cut designs into a brown paper bag, fill it with sand, and set a small candle inside. Battery-operated candles make a fire-safe modern version.

The custom is said to recall lanterns lighting the way for Mary and Joseph. You’ll see them around important religious sites, but they’ve also become part of celebrations at home.

Nacimiento

Another piece of Mexican religious art in our Christmas tradition is the nacimiento. My parents bought their set on a trip to Nogales before I was born, and unpacking it was always my favourite part of the holidays. Nacimiento means “birth,” and it is the Nativity scene most families put up. The small, painted clay figures represent the Holy Family, shepherds, the Three Kings, and the animals.

Many families send children outside to collect moss, rocks, and flowers to decorate the manger. After our Mexico City trip, we bought our own set to carry on the custom. Traditionally, the baby Jesus figure isn’t set out until Christmas Eve.

Colourful Decorations

I never left a Mexico City marketplace empty-handed. As someone who loves bright colours and beautiful textiles, I find them heaven, and right before the holidays they overflow with unique decorations. Far from the glossy glass ornaments common in North America, many are made of cloth, tin, straw, clay, or other folk art materials, in every shade of the rainbow.

• Felt ornaments: Hand-embroidered felt decorations are among my favourites. Many weren’t meant for Christmas at all but look as if they were.
• Palm ornaments: Small ones tied into garlands, or larger ones with frilly tails.
• Rattan rattles: Bells inside make a lovely jingle as you decorate.
• The tree topper: Instead of an angel, I use a massive embroidered star. It mixes well with my bright glass baubles and is the kids’ favourite.

Can’t get to a Mexican marketplace? Etsy sellers in Mexico can ship everything you need for your own festive tree.

Piñatas

According to tradition, star-shaped piñatas were first used to teach children about the seven deadly sins. The original design was a round ball with seven points, each representing one sin: envy, sloth, gluttony, greed, lust, wrath, and pride. The stick represents faith, and the candy that spills out is the reward for beating sin. Each posada ends with a piñata. Small bags of candy, fruit, and peanuts, called aguinaldos, are often handed out too.

Make Your Own Piñata

1. Blow up a round balloon and tape pointy party hats to it.
2. Cover the whole thing in papier-mâché and let it dry.
3. Pop the balloon with a needle and cut a hole in the top.
4. Fill with candy or small toys, then tape the hole shut.
5. Paint it, and add tissue paper tassels to the points for extra flair.

Then let the kids loose on it. Or, if you’re like me, hang it as decoration and skip the destruction.

Poinsettias

You may have one in your house right now, but the poinsettia is native to Mexico, and it grows throughout Central America. In Mexico City, we were surprised to see it in large planters almost everywhere. The Aztecs used the flowers to make dye for clothing and cosmetics, and the white sap was reportedly used in medicine to treat fevers.

The English name comes from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the US ambassador to Mexico in 1825, who brought the plant to American greenhouses. As a rare, resilient winter flower, it became synonymous with Christmas.

In Mexico it’s called Noche Buena, the “Christmas Eve flower.” The name comes from a story about a poor girl on her way to Christmas Eve service. It was tradition to leave a gift on the altar for baby Jesus, and she was upset that she had nothing to give. Her cousin told her that Jesus would be happy with whatever she brought, however small. So she picked a bunch of weeds from the roadside and made a small bouquet.

When she laid it on the altar, the weeds bloomed into bright red, star-shaped flowers, resembling the star that led the wise men to Bethlehem. It was called a miracle, and the flower has been Noche Buena ever since.

Noche Buena: The Christmas Eve Feast

The most important meal of the season is held on Christmas Eve, also called Noche Buena. Families gather, each bringing a favourite traditional dish.

Pozole

Pozole is a thick soup of pork and hominy. Hominy is dried corn treated with an alkaline solution (traditionally lime) in a process called nixtamalization, which Mesoamericans have used for centuries. Soaking breaks down the grain’s cell walls, softening it and making it easier to grind, which opens the corn up to countless recipes.

Once rinsed of its bitter taste, hominy goes into pozole. Red pozole is typically topped with radish, shredded cabbage or lettuce, lime, and oregano. Green pozole (pozole verde) is often served with avocado and cilantro. Either is a wonderful winter recipe to try.

Ponche

Ponche is a warm Christmas fruit punch, much like our mulled wine, and it simmers on the stove all through big family gatherings. A signature ingredient is the tejocote, a small yellow-orange fruit resembling a crabapple. It’s quite bitter, so sugar cane is added to sweeten the mix, often served as a stick in the cup. Spices like cinnamon, star anise, tamarind pods, or hibiscus flowers add depth. Add alcohol or leave it out, depending on whether it’s for the kids.

Mexican Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate is a holiday staple worldwide, but we have Mexico to thank for it. The Maya, and Mesoamerican cultures before them, drank chocolate for thousands of years (evidence of the Maya drinking it dates to around 500 BC, and earlier finds go back much further). It was believed to have healing and spiritual properties, and archaeologists have found Maya burials with drinking vessels once filled with cocoa.

What Makes Mexican Hot Chocolate Different

That drink was very different from ours: served cold, with cornmeal and chilli peppers ground in with the cocoa seeds. Spanish explorers brought chocolate to Europe in the 1500s, where it reached the court of King Charles V. There it became a sweetened, hot beverage, and the chillies were dropped as too much for the bland royal palate. They didn’t know what they were missing! This year, try the spicy version. It doesn’t need to be mouth-numbingly hot, just enough of a kick to warm you up on a cold night.

Rosca de Reyes

Rosca de Reyes, or Three Kings Cake, is eaten on Three Kings Day (January 6th) to celebrate the Kings’ journey to the baby Jesus. This orange-flavoured cake is topped with brightly coloured dried fruits, giving it a bejewelled, crown-like look.

A tiny plastic baby Jesus is hidden inside. Whoever finds it in their slice hosts the party and provides the tamales on Candelaria Day (February 2nd). Busy families usually buy their rosca from a bakery, but you can bake one yourself if you don’t live near a Mexican bakery.

I hope this gave you some insight into the traditions of a Mexican Christmas. You may even find customs you’ve been keeping for years without knowing where they came from!

What’s a tradition your family keeps? Tell me in the comments.

Happy Travels, Adventurers!