Advent tradition of the Posadas brings joy to participants, enlightens hearts, deacon says

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Celebrating the Posadas is a source of joy for the participants, especially those who are far from home, says Deacon Guillermo Mendez, pictured at left during the 2019 Posadas at the Cathedral of the Madeleine with Bishop Oscar A. Solis and the children portraying Mary and Joseph.

SALT LAKE CITY — Many parishes in the Diocese of Salt Lake City are preparing for Las Posadas (“The Inns”), an Advent devotional celebrated in Latin America and some parts of the United States in the nine days before Christmas, Dec. 16-24.

Las Posadas commemorates the journey that Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and their struggle to find shelter where the young mother could have her baby. In Latin America the inns portion of the Posadas is enacted at various homes and buildings every night of the novena. In Utah, the processions or prayers sponsored by the diocese are held at a different parish each evening of the novena, with reenactments of the journey and traditional songs.

“The ‘Posadas’ are more than just a novena that remind us of the desperate search that Joseph and Mary went through seeking for an inn where their child Jesus could be born,” said Deacon Guillermo Mendez, who serves at the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

The novena was begun in 1578 in a church in Acolman, Mexico by Father Diego Soria, an Augustine priest, who was trying to erase a pagan tradition of adoring Huitzilopochtli (an Aztec god) during what is considered Christmas season. Fr. Soria instituted the Christian devotion of the novena, where the Aztecs instead adored the Child Jesus, according to Deacon Mendez.

“I don’t think that priest would have ever imagined that all the efforts that he put into the novena would grow through the times, and today, more than 400 years later, the Posadas are not only a Mexican religious and cultural tradition, but they have also crossed international borders reaching many countries,” Deacon Mendez said. “In a broader sense, celebrating the Posadas has become a source of joy for all the participants. I think that Fr. Soria has given the Spanish-speaking world an instrument for prayer that has served as a tool to fill the spiritual emptiness of Advent.”

In the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City, the Posadas are celebrated beginning Dec. 16, with a different parish hosting the event each night. Every parish has its own way of celebrating the tradition.

At the Cathedral of the Madeleine, the celebration begins with the singing of a traditional song asking for shelter, with Bishop Oscar A. Solis and local parishioners reenacting the roles of the pilgrims; the cathedral choir provides the music. Following the reenactment, the group prays.

After the Mass, the participants celebrate by sharing sweet bread and hot chocolate, and the children break piñatas. The festivity ends with all the children receiving small bags filled with candy.

At St. Joseph Catholic Church in Ogden, each parish ministry hosts a day of the novena. Children from the religious education classes are invited to fill the roles of Mary, St. Joseph, shepherds and sometimes angels, said Maria Gandara, director of religious education.

The parents of the participating children make their costumes, and they prepare for the event in their classes. Afterwards, hot chocolate, coffee and treats are served, and each child is given a small bag of candy.

“The Posadas help us to realize that through our honest and humble faith our souls can grow and remember once again that Jesus once was a vulnerable baby,” Deacon Mendez said. “Let’s pray that this celebration of love to the Baby Jesus in Bethlehem enlightens our hearts this Christmas.”

Translation: Laura Vallejo