St. James Church says ?Feliz Navidad?

    St. James Catholic Church in Washington offers Mass in Spanish to a growing number of Spanish-speaking parishioners. At Christmas time, the church puts on a special service for its Spanish speakers called ?Las Posadas.? Las Posadas is a nine-day festival which began in Spain and is now celebrated chiefly in Mexico and Guatemala, lasting from Dec. 16 to Dec. 24. Each day corresponds to one month of Mary?s pregnancy with Jesus.

    The term ?las posadas? means ?the inns.? The tradition took its name from the way in which Mary and Joseph traveled door to door in Bethlehem seeking shelter. In Latin America, members of the church recreate that voyage by having Mary and Joseph (along with a crowd of followers) walk from home to home in a neighborhood, knocking on doors. All members of the crowd carry candles, and a few others carry statues of Joseph or of Mary on a donkey. In song, the crowd asks each homeowner to allow Mary and Joseph to stay, and its request is denied. After a long search, the couple is finally allowed to enter one of the homes, and a prayer is said inside the home. This same re-enactment is done each day for nine days, and the families in the neighborhood take turns serving as the chosen ?posada? that night. 

    The tradition of recreating the voyage is kept alive at St. James Catholic Church, though with a few modifications. At St. James, young children dress as Mary and Joseph and walk around the perimeter of the sanctuary (in Spanish they are known as María and José). They are followed by children holding candles and a few others who carry statues, as well as a group of adults who lead the congregation in song. María, José and the children leave the sanctuary, while the rest of the congregation closes the door and remains inside. The Holy Family (La Sagrada Familia) pleads to be allowed in the sanctuary, which now represents the posada. After hearing their pleas, the congregation opens the doors.

    After the service, the parishioners retire to a dining hall for a meal. A different family is in charge of serving the meal each night. In Latin America, children continue the celebration by striking open a star-shaped piñata, revealing the candy inside. At St. James, the children are given bags of candy and also have their names entered into a drawing for larger presents. The Washington church has a special service on Christmas Eve and does not celebrate ?Las Posadas? that day.

For the full story, see the Dec. 21 edition of The Washington Evening Journal