Is a Carousel Part of Your Holiday Custom?
Written by faith | 0Holidays trigger memories of past celebrations and rituals with family, friends, and co-workers. The magic of a carousel ride with background music playing creates warm emotions and bonds. Children dress up for a photo with Santa or a Nutcracker performance. Many other traditions involve favorite foods, ornaments made in preschool placed on the tree, the smells of evergreen and cider, sharing bounty with those in need and expressing to one another their importance in our life.
And all around the world there are unique customs that make this time special. Christmas is a Christian holiday and many Christmas customs originated in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. These customs include sending Christmas cards (Hallmark says thank you) and hanging a sprig of mistletoe in a room or hallway for romantic opportunities.
The nine days before Christmas in Mexico are called posadas, which means inns or lodgings. Each day, Mexicans reenact Mary and Joseph’s search for lodgings on the first Christmas Eve. After each posada ceremony, there is a feast to celebrate and children enjoy trying to break the pinata.
TOO MANY TAMALES
In Los Angeles, Christmas is time for “Too Many Tamales,” an annual holiday show which acknowledges biculturalism in a city where 41 percent of the population was born abroad. The play tells the story of Maria consuming all of the family’s holiday tamales in a fruitless effort to find her mother’s missing engagement ring while explaining the Latino tradition of making tamales at Christmastime.
The play is a celebration of culture and a reminder to maintain and respect traditions from all over our interconnected world. Last year my family enjoyed a dinner with tamales transported from San Antonio. What traditions will you celebrate this holiday?
