Mexican Christmas customs
Terms
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- Está lloviendo.
- It's raining.
- la piñata
- A hollow figure made of paper maché or clay pot covered in tissue paper. It's filled with fruit and candy and broken by children.
- el día de los Reyes Magos
- The children of Spain believe that the three kings leave them gifts in their shoes on January 6th.
- ¡Feliz Navidad!
- Merry Christmas!
- What do the seven points on the traditional Christmas piñata represent?
- the seven cardinal sins
- las posadas
- The reenactment of Mary and Joseph's search for lodging. It takes place the 9 days before Christmas. A procession is led through the neighborhood.
- el aguinaldo
- This can refer to a Christmas gift OR a Christmas monetary bonus up to one month's salary.
- tamales
- The traditional Mexican Christmas dish. It is like a cornmeal dumpling wrapped in a corn husk or banana tree leaf.
- Hace viento.
- It's windy.
- el nacimiento
- In most Mexican homes instead of a Christmas tree you see brightly colored nativity scenes.
- Está nevando.
- It's snowing.
- misa de gallo
- midnight mass/mass of the rooster
- ¡Próspero Año Nuevo!
- Happy new year!
- el pastor
- shepherd
- el arrullo
- The custom of rocking the baby Jesus figurine and singing Christmas carols to him before putting him in the manager on Christmas day.
- la pastorela
- A symbolic shepherd's play used by early missionaries to teach about the struggle between good and evil.
- la Nochevieja
- New Year's Eve (Literally "the old night")
- el Día de la Candelaría
- The Day of the Candlemas is the end of the holiday season on Feb. 2nd. Whoever received the Jesus figurine in their bread must give a party on this day.
- What does the stick used to break the piñata represent?
- faith
- la Virgen de Guadalupe
- Said to have appeared to a peasant in 1531 and commanded him to have a temple built for her. She is the patroness saint of Mexico.
- What is the shape of the traditional Christmas piñata?
- a star
- Name one difference between a nativity scene found in the U.S. and in Mexico.
-
--satan in included in the scene
--the Jesus figurine isn't place in the manger until Dec. 25 - los regalos
- gifts
- la Rosca de Reyes
- An oval, ring-shaped bread topped with dried fruits. A Jesus figurine is hidden in it. The person who finds it in his/her piece must give a party on Feb. 2.
- la Flor de Noche Buena
- The poinsettia flower, named after the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett.