Tamales will take the place of turkey at a Christmas celebration at St. Barnabas Church.
The church, located in the Brow of the Hill neighbourhood, is holding a posada on Dec. 15. The Reverend Emilie Smith, who has been involved with the Latin American community for years, said posados are a Mexican and Latin American Christmas tradition.
“It’s a neighborhood procession with candles and lanterns, looking for a place for Mary to have her baby,” she said.
Las posadas traditionally take place over nine days, but St. Barnabas is adapting it into a one-night event. The posada involves the reenactment of Mary and Joseph searching for a room at the inn.
“We go around the neighbourhood with a candlelight procession with Mary and Joseph, looking for a place for the Queen of Heaven to have her baby,” Smith told The Record. “It is a reenactment of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem.”
Like Mary and Joseph, the procession will be turned away at some of the locations where they stop. Neighbours in the Brow of the Hill neighbourhood have been recruited to serve as “innkeepers” who reject the procession.
“They are going to be as mean as possible and not welcome us,” Smith said. “We go on to the next place.”
Ultimately, the procession ends up a short while later at St. Barnabas Church, where they will knock on the door.
“We are welcomed at the church,” Smith said. “Here at the church we will have the piñatas. We have Latin American food, we have some dancing.”
While a posada is a Christian festival, it aims to appeal to people of all cultures and religions.
“Who can say no to candles and lanterns and piñatas?” Smith said. “This is an all nations event.”
All community members are invited to attend the posada, which takes place on Sunday, Dec. 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. starting at 1010 Fifth Ave. After finding room for everyone at the church, the celebration will include tamales, ponche (punch) and piñatas.
