Celebrating a classic Mexican Christmas tradition, the OA family center hosted a posada on Dec. 5, inviting students, families, and staff to partake in the festivities in the MPR.
“Our school is very diverse and I think it’s really important to showcase the various cultures we have here,” Family Center’s FACES Karen Ortega said. “My intention behind [the event] is [so] all our Oxford Community can learn about the various cultures and traditions.”
Las posadas, or “the inns”, are a series of celebrations spanning nine days leading up to Christmas Day. This is in reference to the biblical story of Mary and Joseph finding lodging for baby Jesus’s birth.
Posadas are filled with Christmas carols, hot cultural foods like pozole and ponche, piñatas, and sweet treats. Las posadas, while originally celebrated as a large street festival, can also be celebrated in smaller groups over a shorter time frame. A key part of the holiday is processions, in which children visit houses around the neighborhood reciting prayers.
“Usually when I celebrate posadas I’ll get together with my friends and family, and the adults will stand on the inside while my cousins and I circle around them,” senior and ALAS member Audrey Martinez said. “Although this posada didn’t have the singing, the food was nostalgic and I had a great time overall.”
Oxford’s homage to the Mexican holiday featured an intimate turnout of about 80 people, featuring decorations such as flower centerpieces, pamphlets promoting the Association of Latin American Scholars (ALAS), and imitation candles adorning tables.
Upon initiation of the event, ALAS board members introduced the history and cultural significance of Las Posadas in English and Spanish, familiarizing those new to the event and appealing to all audiences. Ortega also encouraged people to ask any questions they had about the tradition.
Visitors enjoyed tamales and pozole, among other foods, brought by community members willing to donate. For dessert, colorful jello, flan, and various pastries were shared, all while visitors caught up with loved ones and interacted with the community.
“When I walked into the MPR, it seemed like everybody was acting as a family, which is kind of what Posadas is all about,” sophomore Shay Tiettmeyer said “It was a very familial atmosphere, I got to meet a lot of people I didn’t know.”
Later in the celebration, guests participated in breaking two festively themed pinatas. Children and students lined up to hit a constantly moving pinata throughout a short song chanted by the crowd.
“I enjoyed the pinata, everyone was cheering which felt good, “ junior Lee Littler said, “Cheering for other people [as well] and getting candy was all very nice.”
Senior ALAS president Diana Ayala concluded the night encouraging students to join ALAS to participate in similar activities and contribute to a more unified community.
Due to the event’s success, the OA Family Center is deliberating expanding the posada to a larger scale, if the demand is high enough.
“I need to start small but eventually if [the posada] is something that sparks interest for other schools then that’s definitely something we can in the future host as a district so then after we can have all district families potentially participate.”
The posada celebration offered the Oxford community an opportunity to interact in a vibrant environment while also highlighting holiday traditions celebrated in different parts of the globe.
“It’s all about community building and cultural inclusivity,” Ortega said. “I think overall my hope is that [the posada] sparks more of these opportunities for us to share the richness of culture on campus.”
