5 Christmas Eve Traditions With Latin Roots

With a famiy background that sends my heart and mind back to visits with Grandma in New Mexico, there are many Latin American, or almost Latin American traditions which invade my memories when the Christmas season, or the Navidad, approach.

Some are more tied to New Mexico, while others hail from my years of life in Baja. Some, we keep, and some, we just enjoy remembering, in our home, but it is certain that the smells and feelings and thoughts are treasured.

Christmas is a time of fun in both Mexico and New Mexico, and I wouldn't give up these memories for anything.

Come along as I take you on a brief tour! Celebramos!

Some call them luminarias, my family refers to them as luminarios.

A popular tradition in New Mexico, I was always told that the significance was that the luminarios were placed to light the path for Mary and Joseph, as they sought a place of shelter and refuge to welcome the baby, Jesus, into their lives.

Brown lunch bags are folded down, not quite halfway, and filled with enough sand to weight them down. Votive candles are centered in the sand, and a path, or driveway, is lined with the bags. When it's dusk, our family would light the candles, keeping watch in the night as a fire precaution. The lit path to the front door, and along the front of the property, were enchanting. I've seen pictures of New Mexico buildings and neighborhoods lit in grand display, and I love the image of candle lit path, the scent of burning wax, and the chill in the air on the eve of the grand celebration!

In conjunction with the New Mexico tradition of luminarios, our family always prepared posole as a Christmas Eve meal.

The warmth accompanies the chill perfectly, and is just what's needed if you must spend the night monitoring the burning candles.

My favorite posole, however, is more the style I experienced in Baja, and you will find my very simple recipe for this delicious Posole meal here!

 In our time in Mexico, we discovered that the evening of the Noche Buena, or "good night", namely, Christmas Eve, was spent eating tamales and lighting off fireworks.  I didn't learn to make tamales, but whether in Mexico, or the U.S., I find that my Mexican friends always seem to make those tamales a part of the festivities.  If you don't have a good recipe, I recommend finding a Latino market with a good reputation for their tamales.  Another alternative, a Mexican restaurant.  Order some to take out, and have them at your Christmas Eve dinner. 

As for the Cuetes, or fireworks, I doubt that you'll find legal ones to light at this time of the year.  Just as well, because some of the ones my kids lit in Mexico were a little scary. Still, imagine the smell of fires lit, tamales cooking, and the sound and view of fireworks in celebración! 

Additional favorite foods of the Noche Buena include buñuelos, which are fried flour tortillas, drizzled with honey, crunchy and sweet, and ponche de Navidad, a Christmas punch with fruit, sugar cane, and piloncillo, a type of hard, brown sugar.  During the holidays, sugar cane and tamale husks appeared in abundance in stores and on street corners!

Of course, a piñata is a must, if children are around.  

While many dulcerías (candy shops) and other tiendas (stores) carry favorite characters, the traditional Christmas Eve piñata is a colorful star-shaped receptacle.

 The kids loved this one, and we observed it when we lived in Baja, though we stick to a more traditional US approach present day.  On Noche Buena, Christmas Eve, the presents would be opened after midnight.  In fact, the kids' friends showed us video of their own celebrations, in which the great shout came at midnight, "A los regalos!"  (To the gifts).  We did this a little early, with little ones who had a tough time waiting up, but the thrill of getting to open presents early was great fun!  The Noche Buena was the big day of celebration.

Thanks to the following at Flickr for use of their pictures through Creative Commons Licensing:

Mulsanne, Luminarios

Kreyten, Tucson Luminarios

Phil_g, Tamales

Gusdrinks, Piñatas

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