Christmas in Los Ayala, Nayarit – Mexico

By Christina Stobbs

The poinsettia is native to Mexico and has been associated with Christmas celebrations since the 17th century. There is a legend connected with the poinsettia which tells the story of a young boy who walked to the church in his village to visit the Nativity scene. Upon arrival, the young boy realized that he had nothing to offer the Christ Child and decided to gather some green branches which he found growing along the road. When he laid the branches by the manger, a beautiful red star-shaped flower blossomed on each branch.

Traditionally Christmas festivities in Mexico begin with “Las Posada’s” which consist of nine consecutive days of candlelight processions and parties, starting on December 16th. The festivities of Las Posadas reflect Joseph and Mary's nine day journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Christmas Eve is the last night of the posada and the local people typically attend midnight mass at the town church and return home to enjoy dinner with their families.
In Los Ayala, the local children delight in a game in which “Piñatas", typically resembling a doll, teddy bear or Santa Claus, filled with candy and then suspended from the ceiling on a rope. Each child is blindfolded and attempts to break the Piñata with a stick. The child who succeeds is the hero of the party, and shares the candy with all the children in attendance.

We purchase Piñatas at the local store, stuff them with candy and distribute them to the less affluent families who live in our neighbourhood. The delight on the children’s faces and puts us into the Christmas Spirit.

We celebrate Christmas Eve in a traditional manner but we roast our turkey on the BBQ because frankly it is too hot here, to roast a turkey in the oven. I bake shortbread and spice cookies, which our neighbours think are absolutely scrumptious. We decorate the outside of our house with Christmas lights, and we even have an artificial Christmas tree adorned with the latest decorations from Wal-Mart.

On Christmas day we pack our swimsuits and a picnic lunch, and hire a boat and driver for the day, to explore the beaches along our coast. We delight in watching humpback whales cavort in ocean, snorkelling at a nearby island, and just strolling along our beautiful beach. To end the day we crack open a bottle of champagne and jump in our pool for a dip, just because we can!

Christina Stobbs http://www.tropicalmanorhouse.com/


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