A Maya Christmas
Most of the Maya in the communities of our region are Catholic and celebrate a mixture of prehispanic and Catholic traditions. This intercultural mix of celebrations, that continues to grow and change, has now become a month-long holiday. ‘Christmas’, then, isn’t just on December 24th or 25th, but starts at the beginning of the month with preparations for El Día de la Guadalupana, which involves taking a pilgrimage in honor of the Virgin Guadalupe. Going back to prehistoric times, these pilgrimage traditions emerged when the Catholic church created the Virgin Guadalupe to encourage the indigenous to convert to Catholicism.
At the beginning of December, families from different Maya communities in the region gather to plan their pilgrimage teams. From December 1st to 12th, they hold rezos, prayer sessions, for the Virgin led by Maya priests, with a different family hosting each rezo.In the meantime, the teams begin their pilgrimages in honor of the Virgin Guadalupe. These start from their communities, arrive at a specific destination and return home by December 12th, El Día de la Virgen Guadalupe. Some even run or cycle to and from Mexico City, which is 1,500km away! Upon their return, the pilgrims sing to the Virgin, have their rezo and begin the Christmas celebrations.
The festivities then continue for much of the rest of the month, with special rezos held for different saints until December 24th. Each night, one family hosts the rezo by providing the spiritual leader with food and drink. It’s during these rezos that the families begin planning and organizing their Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena, celebration, by pooling money together, deciding who will host, and whether they’ll kill a pig, turkeys or chickens.
On the morning of Christmas Eve itself, if a pig is to be slaughtered for dinner, everyone is up at 6am to prepare the meat. After this, they have another rezo, then rest until the afternoon. If turkeys or chickens are to be slaughtered instead, the women do so in the afternoon, whilst the men prepare the hole for the pib, or underground oven, and begin cooking the meat for the traditional meal of chirmole or relleno negro, which is a soup with a specific black spice base.In the evening, at around 9 or 10pm, the women gather again to make tortillas. During all of this, the older children decorate the host’s yard.
Guests arrive from 10 or 11pm and are immediately served their dinner. After everyone has eaten, the real celebrations begin, with pinatas, cake, music and drink! They dance and children play all night until the sun comes up. Some children open their gift from Santa after the party, whereas others do so in the morning. In this region, adults don’t do gift exchanges.
On the 25th, the party, or recalentado, continues by eating leftovers, breaking more pinatas, and celebrating all day once again. This year, because of COVID, the parties were smaller or didn’t happen at all, but we’re certain that next year, the traditions will resume!
If you would like to read more about Mexican culture, history, cuisine and language, check out our blog page for our latest monthly articles. You can also sign up to our newsletter to receive these straight to your inbox along with the latest news about our non-profit school for local and Indigenous students in Felipe Carrillo Puerto.
The best way to experience the Mexican lifestyle is in person, with a Na’atik Immersion experience. Not only do you live with a local Mexican-Maya family, sharing home-cooked meals and free time, but also receive expert instruction in your chosen language at our school. Best of all, every immersion experience helps fund our subsidized and free local education program, helping local students to access opportunities and make their own futures.