Home to Michoacán for the Holidays
by Mayte Guerrero
When I think of the holidays, I think of three-day road trips down to my father’s hometown, La Laguneta, a small town in Michoacán, Mexico. I think of lighting fireworks with my cousins on the sidewalk outside of my aunt’s house, of waiting for the New Year together and hugging everyone—which takes a while when you’re one of twenty-one grandchildren (and that is just my dad’s side of the family).
The holidays have always signified a time for good food and great times with family. Even in the years when we haven’t all been in the same place, the foods we share remain the same, holding us together, tying us to our culture and traditions.
In Mexico, the holiday season begins on December 12th, which is the day honoring la Virgen de Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico. The festivities extend until January 6th, which is el Día de Los Reyes Magos, Three Kings Day.
During the weeks we spent in Mexico over Winter break, we typically stayed a week in Mexico City with my maternal grandparents right before Christmas Eve, which allowed us to participate in las posadas, which are a part of the Christmastime celebrations in Mexico. Las posadas begin on December 16th and are a nine-day celebration which commemorates the journey of Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay before giving birth to baby Jesus. I remember fondly an evening when my grandma hosted la posada. We stood behind her and listened as the neighborhood sang villancicos, traditional Mexican Christmas carols, before she opened up the doors to let everyone inside to celebrate. Since my grandma has the spirit of a child, which is one of my favorite things about her, she bought five piñatas for that day—one of them perhaps the largest I’ve ever seen. The piñatas were filled with toys and candy for the neighborhood children. Seeing the smiling faces and hearing the children’s laughter that night really highlighted the importance of community during the holiday season.
Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve, is perhaps the most celebrated night of the holiday season for my family and holds true for many Latinx families. There is usually not much done on Christmas day itself, except for heating When I think of the holidays, I think of three-day road trips down to my father’s hometown, La Laguneta, a small town in Michoacán, Mexico. I think of lighting fireworks with my cousins on the sidewalk outside of my aunt’s house, of waiting for the New Year together and hugging everyone—which takes a while when you’re one of twenty-one grandchildren (and that is just my dad’s side of the family).
The holidays have always signified a time for good food and great times with family. Even in the years when we haven’t all been in the same place, the foods we share remain the same, holding us together, tying us to our culture and traditions.
In Mexico, the holiday season begins on December 12th, which is the day honoring la Virgen de Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico. The festivities extend until January 6th, which is el Día de Los Reyes Magos, Three Kings Day.
During the weeks we spent in Mexico over Winter break, we typically stayed a week in Mexico City with my maternal grandparents right before Christmas Eve, which allowed us to participate in las posadas, which are a part of the Christmastime celebrations in Mexico. Las posadas begin on December 16th and are a nine-day celebration which commemorates the journey of Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay before giving birth to baby Jesus. I remember fondly an evening when my grandma hosted la posada. We stood behind her and listened as the neighborhood sang villancicos, traditional Mexican Christmas carols, before she opened up the doors to let everyone inside to celebrate. Since my grandma has the spirit of a child, which is one of my favorite things about her, she bought five piñatas for that day—one of them perhaps the largest I’ve ever seen. The piñatas were filled with toys and candy for the neighborhood children. Seeing the smiling faces and hearing the children’s laughter that night really highlighted the importance of community during the holiday season.
Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve, is perhaps the most celebrated night of the holiday season for my family and holds true for many Latinx families. There is usually not much done on Christmas day itself, except for heating up the leftovers (and maybe nursing a hangover), but nochebuena is filled with a morning of prepping and cooking tamales, pozole, and buñuelos, followed by an evening full of celebration. We often stayed up together until midnight to mark the arrival of Jesus Christ.
The nochebuenas spent in La Laguneta, Michoacán often begin with attending the Christmas Eve mass. Afterwards, the community all gathers in la plaza, which is right outside of the church. The adults share stories with each other, and the children run around playing different games and lighting fireworks. Eventually, most families disperse to their homes for their own celebrations.
For me, nochebuena means walking back together from church to my aunt’s house, making a bonfire in the backyard, and fighting heavy eyelids to try to stay up until midnight, because nobody wanted to be the primo who fell asleep first. It means a time when even the teenage cousins who thought they were too cool for the younger kids joined them in games of hide-and-go-seek. It means seeing my abuelita lean her head against my abuelito’s shoulder as he reaches out to hold her hand, both watching what their 60 years of love has created. Nochebuena means eating tamales and drinking ponche. The sweet smell of tejocote, caña y canela [hawthorn, sugar cane, and cinnamon] filling the room, along with our love for one another.
Ponche Navideño (Christmas Punch)
Ingredients:
12 c of water
3 fresh apples, any type, chopped into small pieces
1 can (8 oz) of guavas
1 cinnamon stick
½ c hibiscus flowers*
24 sticks of sugar cane
2 lbs of tejocote (Mexican hawthorn)*
2 ½ c of sugar
*Check your local Mexican markets.
Directions:
Put your pot of water on the stove. Add the apples, the can of guavas, the cinnamon, hibiscus flowers, sugar cane, and the tejocotes. Cover the pot and cook over medium heat until it boils. Continue boiling for half an hour, then add the sugar. Stir well and simmer for another 15 minutes. ¡Buen provecho y felices fiestas!
Mayte Guerrero was born and raised in Anderson Valley, a place that allowed her to develop a deep love for the natural world. She is a naturalist who hopes to continue to do work that creates wider access to public lands and engage in conversations that expand the definition of what it means to love the earth.
