Las Posadas

This year Good Shepherd and CIELO are partnering to bring Las Posadas to our building. Our journey will begin in the narthex, starting at 5:30 pm, where we’ll join with Mary and Joseph as they look for room in Bethlehem. We’ll knock at inns along our journey to our final posada in the Gathering Place where we will celebrate with tamales, dessert potluck, singing, crafts, and a piñata.

What is Las Posadas?
In Mexico, Las Posadas is celebrated for nine days, from December 16th through the 24th. Las Posadas commemorates the difficult journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem as they looked for a place to rest. The word “posada” means refuge or inn. Traditionally, the Posadas celebration takes place in a home or in various homes. At each house, Mary and Joseph ask for refuge through a song. The pilgrims traveling with Mary and Joseph sing with them. Initially, the innkeepers refuse the Holy Family because they don’t recognize them. Finally, the innkeepers recognize Joseph, the carpenter from Nazareth, and his wife Mary, the future mother of Jesus and they welcome them inside. Demonstrating hospitality at its finest, the innkeepers hold a party that includes time to socialize, eat, and break a piñata filled with trinkets and sweets.