Features

The two P’s of Christmas: Las Posadas and Los Pastores

When winter comes and things slow down, when large events are replaced by intimate gatherings, a certain hypnotic melody begins to haunt the minds and hearts of locals. The tune is accompanied by soft singing, the metallic sound of guitars, and words that hark back to the 16th century in two Northern New Mexico traditions that have steadfastly remained alive: the performances of Las Posadas and Los Pastores.

For nine days, December 16–24, in the Mexican tradition of Las Posadas (translated from Spanish as “the inns”), locals will reenact Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter. The group will go from house to house, nine in total, singing their supplication to be given refuge. At each stop, the homeowners will sing back their refusal. The couple is cold and tired, but the homeowners are suspicious and unwilling to open their doors. At the ninth house, someone will have a change of heart. The door will swing open and all will be invited in, followed by feasting and merriment at baby Jesus’ having found a safe place to be born.

For those who have never experienced it, this touching and personal religious observance is a chance to swoop below our region’s cultural surface and participate in the deep Hispanic traditions that permeate our landscape. Every year, Las Posadas is re-enacted, from the tiny villages of Pecos and Arroyo Hondo to the Santa Fe Plaza, where folks of all religions and all backgrounds are invited to join in. For those who have participated, this soothing tradition brings back memories of abuelos and abuelitas, of extended families, and of warm gatherings on cold wintry nights.

“There are melodic variations from one community to another, but everyone uses the same text,” says Arsenio Cordova, who lives in Taos and teaches Southwest studies at the University of New Mexico. “The accompaniment is usually string instruments—mostly guitar and violin—but sometimes you’ll find a flute or recorder or even trumpets.” Occasionally, Mary rides on a donkey, if one is available. She and Joseph wear Biblical-style costumes, and are played by young parishioners of the Catholic church, their path lit by the glow of farolitos. The form of the tradition is based on the novena, the nine-day cycle of prayer derived from the Latin word for nine. Each night, a different family hosts the celebration, and the ritual ends on December 24, followed by midnight mass.

In Santa Fe, where the Palace of the Governors sponsors an abbreviated, one-night event, participants will also encounter el Diablo, the devil. He appears on building tops, dressed in red, menacing and cavorting, the embodiment of evil, fear, and sin. “He comes down from the mountains to make sure kids have learned their prayers,” Cordova says.

The other traditional triumph of good over evil is the story of Los Pastores, the shepherds’ search for Jesus. This evocative and poetic morality play was one way the 16th-century Spanish conquerors of Mexico could teach Catholicism. “They portrayed Biblical stories using a lot of pantomime and music,” Cordova explains. Always performed in Spanish, Los Pastores tells the story of a group of shepherds who go in search of the Christ child and encounter obstacles along the way—such as a lazy shepherd who doesn’t want to continue, and a wily Lucifer who throws doubt their way.

“In many of the places in Mexico and New Mexico, there weren’t enough missionaries and priests to go around,” says Cordova, “so it became the job of the lay people to do the teaching and carry on the traditions. Over time, the plays changed. They began to incorporate political issues and create new characters to speak directly to local people and their culture. The original message became somewhat tainted.”

This touching folk drama is becoming a rarity—various families or groups will rally to continue the tradition, but their energies tend to wane under the immense effort to produce the play—so all cultures are invited to participate: “Indians and Gringos, Mexicanos, whoever comes to try out,” Cordova says. “The tradition was brought by the earliest colonists and it has survived until today. Is it disappearing? I’d just say it’s asleep and we have to wake it up. It’s not dying out. It’s just snoozing.”

SOURCES

Las Posadas at the Palace of the Governors, December 11, 7 pm, followed by caroling and refreshments in the courtyard. 505-476-5087. Also, Santa Maria de la Paz Catholic Church will hold the traditional nine-day Las Posadas, Dec 16–24, ending with mass at the church. 11 College, Santa Fe. 505-473-4200.

The only area performance of Los Pastores will be Dec 17, 7 pm, at Our Lady of Guadalupe parish, 205 Don Fernando, Taos. 505-758-9208. The public is invited to attend.