Mexican Christmas Traditions: Las Posadas, Piñatas & More
Mexican Christmas Traditions: Las Posadas, Piñatas & More
In many Mexican households, Christmas is a season of traditions that begins with Las Posadas in December and continues through Día de los Reyes, or Three Kings Day, in January. Along the way come seven-point star piñatas, poinsettias, papel picado, tamales, and handmade ornaments. Each tradition has its own history and meaning, bringing families and communities together during the holiday season.
Many of these customs are also an important part of Christmas in San Antonio and South Texas, where generations of Mexican-American families have kept them alive.
Whether you're planning a traditional Las Posadas celebration or looking for ways to incorporate Mexican Christmas decorations into your home, here's a closer look at the traditions that make this season so special.
Las Posadas: Nine Nights Before Christmas
Las Posadas is celebrated for nine nights, from December 16 through December 24. The word posada means "lodging" or "inn" in Spanish, and the celebration reenacts Mary and Joseph's search for a place to stay in Bethlehem. The nine nights are traditionally said to represent the nine months of Mary's pregnancy.
Each evening, a group of neighbors, friends, or church members gathers for a procession, often carrying candles and sometimes accompanied by participants portraying Mary and Joseph.
The group stops at a home and sings a traditional song requesting shelter, a custom known as pedir posada. The hosts inside respond through song, initially refusing entry until the final verses, when the doors open and everyone is welcomed inside.
Then the celebration begins! Families and friends gather for tamales, warm ponche navideño, music, and often a traditional Christmas piñata. Children may also receive aguinaldos, small bags filled with candy, fruit, and other treats.
The tradition dates back to colonial Mexico, with historical accounts tracing its development to the late 1500s. Over the centuries, Las Posadas has evolved into a cherished holiday celebration throughout Mexico and many Mexican-American communities.
Las Posadas in San Antonio
San Antonio has a long history of celebrating Las Posadas through church gatherings, neighborhood processions, and community festivities.
Places such as San Fernando Cathedral and the city's historic missions have helped preserve the tradition through religious and community celebrations.
For families hosting a posada at home, a church, or a community center, some of the most recognizable elements include traditional songs, refreshments, treats for guests, and a colorful star-shaped piñata.
It's a tradition that reflects something especially meaningful about the holiday season: welcoming others and celebrating together.
What Do the Seven Points on a Mexican Christmas Piñata Mean?
Piñatas are a familiar sight at birthday parties, but the traditional Mexican Christmas piñata has a history that goes well beyond party entertainment.
The classic Christmas piñata is shaped like a star with seven points. According to tradition, each point represents one of the seven deadly sins.
Other elements of the traditional piñata-breaking ceremony also carry symbolic meanings:
The blindfold represents faith, since the participant cannot see the piñata.
The stick symbolizes the strength needed to overcome temptation.
The treats inside represent the blessings and rewards that follow.
During colonial times, missionaries incorporated piñatas into religious instruction. Over the generations, breaking a piñata also became a joyful part of Mexican Christmas festivities.
Traditional fillings include candy, peanuts, and seasonal fruits such as mandarin oranges, guavas, and tejocotes. Sugarcane is another customary treat associated with the celebration.
Today, the colorful star piñata remains one of the most recognizable symbols of Las Posadas.
If you're including a piñata at your celebration, make sure there's plenty of room, keep spectators a safe distance away, and have an adult supervise the activity.
The Poinsettia: Mexico's Flor de Nochebuena
One of the world's most recognizable Christmas plants actually comes from Mexico.
The poinsettia, known in Mexico as flor de Nochebuena, or "Christmas Eve flower," is native to the country and has been associated with the Christmas season for generations.
Long before it became popular in the United States, the plant was known to the Aztecs as cuetlaxóchitl.
Its brilliant red bracts, which are modified leaves surrounding the small flowers, make it especially distinctive.
The plant's English name comes from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States minister to Mexico, who introduced the plant to the United States in the 1820s.
Today, poinsettias are popular Christmas decorations in both countries.
Whether displayed as live plants, decorative paper flowers, or incorporated into holiday banners, poinsettias provide a natural connection between Mexican heritage and Christmas decorating.
Mexican Christmas Decorations: Colorful and Full of Tradition
Mexican Christmas decorations often combine traditional holiday symbols with vibrant colors, handmade craftsmanship, and folk art.
Alongside familiar reds and greens, decorations may incorporate bright pinks, purples, turquoise, metallic finishes, and intricate designs.
Two especially distinctive examples are papel picado banners and handmade Mexican tin ornaments.
Feliz Navidad Papel Picado
Papel picado is the traditional Mexican folk art of creating intricate cutout designs in paper. Decorative banners are also commonly made from colorful plastic or metallic materials.
During the Christmas season, designs may feature stars, Christmas trees, poinsettias, Nativity scenes, and the words Feliz Navidad, meaning "Merry Christmas."
These banners can be hung across doorways, above dining tables, along patios, or throughout a room to create a festive atmosphere.
Metallic versions are especially attractive during Christmas because they reflect the light from holiday decorations.
For a traditional Mexican touch, consider decorating with Amols' Feliz Navidad Metallic Papel Picado Banner, featuring alternating red and green metallic panels.
For more decorating inspiration, read our article on Papel Picado for the Holidays.
You can also learn more about the origins of this traditional Mexican craft in our History of Papel Picado.
Mexican Tin Ornaments (Hojalata)
Another distinctive Mexican Christmas decoration is the handcrafted tin ornament.
Known as hojalata, Mexican tinwork involves cutting, shaping, embossing, and decorating thin sheets of metal to create folk art.
Artisans in several regions of Mexico have developed distinctive styles, creating ornaments shaped like stars, hearts, birds, angels, and other decorative figures.
Many are hand-painted in vibrant colors, while others feature natural metallic finishes.
These lightweight ornaments can be displayed on Christmas trees, wreaths, garlands, or even attached to wrapped gifts for an extra decorative touch.
Because each handmade ornament can have its own character, they also make thoughtful gifts and keepsakes.
Learn more about this traditional art form in our article on Mexican Tin Ornaments, or explore our collection of hand-painted Mexican tin ornaments.
Traditional Mexican Christmas Foods
Food brings families together during Christmas celebrations throughout Mexico.
Although the dishes and customs vary by region and family, Christmas Eve, known as Nochebuena, is often an important occasion for gathering around the table.
Some traditional holiday favorites include:
Tamales: Corn masa filled with pork, chicken, cheese, or other ingredients, wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves and steamed.
Pozole: A hearty soup made with hominy and meat, often served with toppings such as cabbage or lettuce, radishes, and chile.
Bacalao: Salt cod prepared with tomatoes, olives, peppers, and other ingredients, especially popular during Christmas Eve celebrations in some regions.
Buñuelos: Thin, crispy fried pastries commonly sprinkled with cinnamon sugar or served with a sweet syrup.
Ponche navideño: A warm holiday fruit punch traditionally prepared with ingredients such as guavas, tejocotes, sugarcane, apples, and cinnamon.
Atole and champurrado: Warm, thick drinks traditionally prepared with masa. Champurrado is a chocolate-flavored variation.
The South Texas Tamalada Tradition
In San Antonio and throughout South Texas, making tamales is often a celebration of its own.
A tamalada is a gathering where family members and friends come together to prepare tamales, sometimes making dozens or even hundreds in a single day.
Some prepare the masa, others fill and fold the corn husks, and everyone contributes to a tradition that often brings several generations together.
San Antonio has also celebrated this custom through community events such as La Gran Tamalada at Historic Market Square.
For many families, the conversations, laughter, and time spent preparing the tamales are every bit as important as the finished meal.
Nacimientos: The Mexican Christmas Nativity Scene
A nacimiento is a Nativity scene depicting the birth of Jesus.
In many Mexican households, the nacimiento is one of the most meaningful Christmas decorations.
Some families create elaborate displays featuring miniature villages, houses, landscapes, animals, shepherds, and handcrafted figures. Others display a smaller Nativity scene that has been passed down through generations.
One traditional custom is to leave the manger empty until Christmas Eve, when the baby Jesus figure is placed inside. This is sometimes referred to as acostar al Niño, or "laying the baby down."
In some families, figures representing the Three Wise Men are gradually moved closer to the manger as January 6 approaches.
These traditions reflect both the religious meaning of Christmas and the importance of sharing family customs from one generation to the next.
Día de los Reyes and the Rosca de Reyes
For many Mexican families, the Christmas celebrations continue beyond December 25.
January 6 is Día de los Reyes Magos, or Three Kings Day, commemorating the visit of the Wise Men to the baby Jesus.
One of the most popular traditions is sharing a rosca de reyes, a ring-shaped sweet bread decorated with colorful candied fruit.
Small figurines representing the baby Jesus are hidden inside the bread.
According to tradition, whoever finds a figurine in their slice takes on the responsibility of providing tamales for a gathering on February 2, Día de la Candelaria, or Candlemas.
It's another example of how Mexican holiday traditions bring families and friends together well beyond Christmas Day.
How to Bring Mexican Christmas Traditions Into Your Celebration
You don't have to host all nine nights of Las Posadas to incorporate Mexican Christmas traditions into your holiday festivities.
A few simple ideas can make your celebration feel especially festive:
Decorate with Feliz Navidad papel picado. Hang banners above a dining table, across a doorway, or throughout your party space.
Add handmade Mexican ornaments to your Christmas tree. Tin ornaments can complement traditional Christmas decorations while adding color and character.
Include a traditional star piñata. A colorful piñata can become a memorable part of a family gathering, church celebration, or community posada.
Decorate with poinsettias. Live plants, paper flowers, or poinsettia-inspired decorations make festive centerpieces.
Celebrate with traditional foods. A tamalada, homemade ponche navideño, or a shared holiday meal can bring everyone together.
Restaurants, hotels, schools, and event venues can incorporate many of these same decorations and traditions into their holiday celebrations.
The key is to choose elements that are meaningful to your family, friends, or community and make them part of your own Christmas traditions.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mexican Christmas Traditions
When is Las Posadas celebrated?
Las Posadas is traditionally celebrated over nine nights, from December 16 through December 24. The celebration commemorates Mary and Joseph's search for lodging in Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus.
What do the seven points on a Mexican Christmas piñata represent?
According to tradition, the seven points represent the seven deadly sins. The traditional piñata-breaking ceremony symbolizes overcoming temptation, with the treats inside representing blessings and rewards.
How do you decorate for a traditional Mexican Christmas?
Mexican Christmas decorations may include colorful papel picado banners, handmade tin ornaments, poinsettias, Nativity scenes, stars, and other festive decorations. Styles vary among families and regions.
What do you need for a Las Posadas party?
A traditional posada may include a procession or reenactment of Mary and Joseph's search for shelter, traditional songs, a star-shaped piñata, refreshments such as tamales and ponche navideño, and small bags of treats called aguinaldos.
What is the difference between Christmas Eve and Three Kings Day in Mexico?
Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena, is traditionally an important time for family gatherings and celebrating the birth of Jesus. Three Kings Day, celebrated January 6, commemorates the visit of the Wise Men and is often marked by sharing rosca de reyes and, in many families, giving gifts.
Find Mexican Christmas Decorations at Amols'
Since 1949, Amols' Party & Fiesta Favors has been part of San Antonio's celebrations, helping families and businesses bring color and tradition to special occasions.
From festive papel picado and handmade Mexican ornaments to holiday decorations and party supplies, Amols' offers distinctive ways to celebrate Christmas with a touch of Mexican heritage.
Visit our San Antonio store at 227 Fredericksburg Road, near the corner of Culebra Road, or explore our collection of Christmas decorations and party supplies online.
From our Amols' family to yours, ¡Feliz Navidad!