Christmas Around the World-Mexico

Finally out Christmas Around the World- Mexico!! Bare with me as I've had to piece this together. We did the bulk of it back in December at our bilingual church. Father did a much better job presenting the traditions than I could have done.

Here's some of what we've learned:

Their celebration is called Las Posadas (in Spanish it means dwelling or lodging). The Posadas begins on December 16 and continues for the following 9 evenings, with the Posada on December 24 and midnight mass.

 

The Posada begins with the recitation of the Holy Rosary then the proceed from the church to the local neighborhood. The Posada con be led by a small group carrying a manger scene or pictures of Mary and Joseph. The families in the neighborhood were the procession will travel will be selected before hand. Usually there are three house selected where the Posada will not take place. The participants will stand before the door of each house and sing a song in Spanish asking to enter the house. A small group will remain inside and tell the outside group that it is not possible to enter. The group proceeds along to the Posada house. Again the y will sing from outside asking for admittance to the house, a small group will sing the response from inside the house where the Posada will take place. The host family will provide the Las Posada dinner, including Hispanic dishes like tamales, menudo and posoli. Each Posada ends will with the traditional piñata.

 

The traditional piñatas has religious significance. The Mexican Catholic interpretation of the piñata suggested the struggle of a man against temptation. The clay pot represents Satan. As the traditional style of the piñata is in a the shape of a seven point star, the cones represent the seven deadly sins-greed, gluttony, sloth, pride, envy, wrath, and lust. The seasonal treats inside the piñata symbolize the temptation of evil. The blindfolded person with a stick stands for faith. The spinning of the blindfolded person and singing by the other participants represents the disorientation caused by temptation. The person is turned thirty times, one spin for each year of Christ's life on this planet. The hitting of the piñata signifies the struggle against temptation and evil. When broken, the treats inside represent the award for keeping the faith..

 

We participated in hearing our fellow Spanish speaking parishioners sing the Posada Song followed by all the children being invited down the hallway to join in with the piñata. Those who knew the song sang it for every child when it was threir turn at the piñata. I wish I knew what they were singing. Just this past week the boys and I made our first Rosca de Reyes (3 King Cake). Traditionally the cake is had as part of celebrating the epiphany on January 6th. There is a "baby Jesus" hidden within the cake (sometimes there is more than one "baby" in the cakes; and a dried bean can also be used in place of a plastic baby).

The Rosca de Reyes was a big hit around here. The only part they didn't care for were the candied fruits (cherries and oranges). We didn't put any figs on ours because I knew the boys wouldn't eat them.   Joey was the first person to find a baby, but over the next couple of days everyone managed to have find at least one baby in a piece of their cake. The recipe we used was for a large cake or two smaller cake. We were given 6 babies to place in our cake from Father.








Mexican Christmas Posada Song (and translated into English)

In the name of heaven                                                  Well if it's queen     
I ask you for shelter,                                                     who's asking
for my beloved wife                                                     why is it that she's out at night,
can go no farther.                                                         wandering so alone

This is not an inn                                                          My wife is Mary
Get on with you,                                                           she is the Queen of Heaven,
I can not open the door,                                                she will be mother
you might be a rogue.                                                   to the Divine Word.

Do not be inhuman,                                                      Is that you Joseph?
Show some charity,                                                      Your wife is Mary?
God in heaven                                                              Enter pilgrims
will reward you.                                                           I didn't recognize you.

You may go now                                                         May the Lord reward you  
and don't bother us anymore                                       for your charity,
because if I get angry                                                  and may the sky be filled
I will beat you.                                                            with happiness.

We are worn out                                                         Happy home,
all the way from Nazareth,                                         harboring on this day
I am a carpenter                                                          the pure virgin,
named Joseph.                                                            the beautiful Mary. 

Never mind your name,                                         (The doors are opened and those outside enter as all sing)
Let me sleep,                                                             Enter holy pilgrims, pilgrims
I've already told you                                                  receive this corner
We won't open the door.                                           not this dwelling
                                                                                  but my heart.
We request lodging,                                                 Tonight is for joy,
dear innkeeper,                                                         for pleasure and rejoicing
for only one night                                                     for tonight we will give lodging
for Queen of Heaven.                                               to the Mother of God the Son.




 There are many different recipes, but this is the one we used.
Rosca de Reyes
Large bread serving 16 (2 small breads)

 Bread Ingredients

1/2 cup of warm water
2 envelopes of dry active yeast
4 cups all purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
3/4 cup of sugar
3 large whole eggs
4 egg yolks mixed with 2 Tablespoons of water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 Tablespoon orange extract
1 1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened (plus more for bowl and plastic wrap)
 Freshly grated orange zest


Ingredients for the topping

3/4 cup of all purpose flour
6 Tablespoons margarine
1/2 cup of confectioners sugar
Dry fruit like figs, candied oranges or cherries
1 egg beaten for glazing the bread
1 Tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk
white sugar to sprinkle on top of the bread
a couple plastic baby dolls (or a dry bean)


Directions

1. Pour warm water into a bowl and sprinkle with yeast. Stir with a fork until dissolved, then let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the flour and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile mix flour, eggs, egg yolks, sugar. orange extract, orange zest, salt, and butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix until crumbly.

3. Add yeast mixture to the bowl and mix. It will very sticky! Place onto a floured surface and start kneading until you have a smooth dough. It will take about 15 minutes to get this result. *Do not add too much flour to your work area, the texture should be soft and managevable. If you add more flour than needed your bread will be dry.

4. Once your dough is smooth and elastic, place in a buttered bowl, and cover with buttered plastic wrap. Let dough stand in a warm  doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Make sure your kitchen is warm to help your dough rise.

5. While the dough is resting, mix the following ingredients for the decoration: margarine with the confectioners sugar. Then add in the flour and egg yolk until you have a smooth paste.

6. Preheat your oven at least 20 minutes before baking at 375 degrees with rack in lower third. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead a few times, then shape into a round cushion and make a hole in the middle. Shape into a ring and baby dolls. Transfer to a greased rimmed baking sheet and cover loosely with buttered plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes. Gather all your decorations and the egg wash. For the egg wash whisk remaining egg with cream.

7. Brush the dough with the egg wash. Form strips with the confectioners sugar paste and decorate the dough. Place some of the pressing gently into the dough. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 10 m bread is a nice golden brown color. Depending on your oven it may require more time.

8. Transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool.

*Do not forget to let your guests know there are plastic babies inside the bread.

Rosca de Reyes can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.


*I had pulled the recipe from internet. I had viewed so many different recipes and lost track of who gets credit for this recipe. If I can find it or if anyone comes across the owner of this recipe I will give credit to them.

Catechism Can Be Fun!

Last night we went to the store to walk up and down the aisles so the boys could make their Christmas want lists. Their choices for what they put on their lists really reflected their personalities. With Jacob anything went didn't matter how big or how small, from a laptop to toys from the dollar bin; mainly action figures or additions to sets he already has. He's putting a lot of faith into Santa can bring him just about anything his heart desires. Joey who is also still a believe in the jolly old guy, chose things that just so happened to have sale tags, even though some of the sale prices we well over $100. He chose a lot of games and things to use for make believe games. Jordan who has things figured out was also considerate of mom's wallet and looked for some of the less pricey things. He has a bunch of computer and video games on his wish list along with to my surprise workout equipment.

Yesterday Joey also brought home a progress report (Jacob claims he did not receive his, although he usually has pretty decent grades anyways) and he is doing awesome this year. He has managed to pull up all his grades and is at honor roll standing as of now. Joey has not had a honor roll qualified report card/progress report since maybe first grade. To acknowledge how proud I was of just how well he has been doing and how hard he has been trying, I gave him a DVD that I had put away from Christmas that he has been wanting to see since this past summer.

What our poinsettia craft should
 look like when it finished.

Using pencils to help attach tissue
 paper to the Advent wreaths.

Today was another fun filled day around here. We started off a bit bumpy but quickly found our groove. Waking up late, then locating the van under several inches of snow and finally racing off to catechism for a family workshop. Being new to the parish I wasn't sure what the workshop was all about. We started off with a short service, then spilt off into groups for a round robin of crafts. Our first stop was practicing some Christmas carols. The boys sung very loudly which the choir director enjoyed, even though they were completely off key and displayed their lack of rhythm (they inherited from their mother). Then we were headed over to listen to a story a little girl and the first poinsettia, the story took up all of our allotted time and we were given a poinsettia craft we could complete at home. I love the idea they used by having the shape of our home state as the poinsettia pieces, upper peninsula for the green parts and lower peninsula for the red. We made an Advent wreath at our next stop. Even though we are starting the third week of Advent, this a project we will be able to set out next year. The boys almost had their whole wreath completed when it was time to go to our last. I think the last session was my favorite! We learned about the meaning of Posadas. A large part of the congregation is Hispanic which made this very interesting for us. Father explained what Posada was all about and those who knew Spanish and the Posada Song. Half the church sang part and the other half sang the response. Father also explained the religious significance of piñatas.  Then everyone gather in one of the hallways and all the children participated in the piñata game. Those who knew the song sang during the game, sung if for every child. Once the candy was spilled and gather by the excited children, it was time to head home.



Jacob getting ready to
take a whack at the piñata.
(and everyone else waiting
 nicely for their turn)

I am very proud of my boys, after gathering some of the candies, they gave it away to some of the younger children. The candy contained dyes (which we don't do) and they thought the younger ones would enjoy it. They were given some chocolate candies and some praise from the priest. I took a few minutes to ask the Father how I would go about locating a "baby Jesus" for our Rosca de Reyes. Knowing that someone in the congregation had to know, the people at Meijer looked at me like I was crazy when I asked them which aisle they would be in. The church actually had some and offer to give us a few when we attended church later in the evening.

After our family workshop, it was a quick lunch and to watch the new DVD again. After the movie the boys couldn't stay inside anymore knowing there was all that snow outside. After bundling everyone up and getting some friends to join them, they spent an hour outside. They would have stayed out much longer but it was time for evening mass.

I had hoped the fresh air would wear the boys down some so the would be settled for mass, not the case this time. After an hour of all 3 fidgeting and practicing sign language instead of paying attention, I was ready to go home. It just happened that they were serving soup tonight following mass, and Jordan told Deacon we would be glad to join them. I couldn't figure out how to tell Deacon "thanks, but no thanks", so we fellowshipped while we ate soup. I'm glad we did stay as we were able to meet some of our fellow parishioners.

The boys had hoped to play outside again once we were home, but seeing no other kids were out opted for another movie. It was a long and busy day, but we had so much fun. While I had planned to wait until after Christmas to work on our Christmas Around the  World, it worked out well that we were able to learn about Mexico from people who practice the traditions.

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A Second Turkey Day

The down side to spending Thanksgiving at someone else is house is now leftovers, I love leftovers and cold turkey sandwiches. We remedied that by having the boys make a turkey dinner as our "Boys cook dinner" from our bucket list. They seem to have mastered breakfast for dinner and I thought they were ready for more of a challenge.

Joey wrote up the list of what we were going to have and who was in charge of which item. Jordan would get the turkey, deviled eggs. and the cranberries. Jacob would handle "Pink Stuff" (a fruity, whipped dish Grandma makes), mashed potatoes, and the rolls. Joey took the stuffing (it's his favorite), gravy, and corn. I was given set the table and make the Jell-O.

Jordan being in charge of the turkey also meant he was in charge of taking the "extras" out of it. He thought I was messing with him when I told him he had to stick his hand in it and pull out what was left. He was a trooper and fished all the goodies out. We kept things simple and just buttered the bird and put it in a turkey bag to cook. The hand mixer is a favorite cooking tool for my boys and Jacob was excited that it got to use it twice. They were totally in charge of their items, the located all the ingredients, did all the measuring and mixing; I oversaw just for safety reasons.

We had arranged for Papa and Grandma to come over and enjoy the wonderful meal the boys were preparing. They brought a pumpkin pie we devoured after mass.

After a fabulous dinner we headed to church for a special night for Jordan and Jacob. Our church gives the children who will be making the First Holy Communion a necklace with a wood cross for them to wear when attending church. Also the students who will be making their conformation receive a necklace with a wooden dove. The boys received their during last nights mass. The purpose of the necklaces is for the congregation to be able to recognize these students are at an important point in their journey with Christ and to pray for them.



We had also completed our activity of keeping a thankful jar for one month. We started on October 28th and continued adding to it daily until November 28th (Thanksgiving). On the 28th just before bed we went back through and read all the things we were thankful for. Our jar was so full we had to squish down the papers to fit more in by the end of the month. We had a wide variety of things from God, Jesus, and Mom, to colors, paper, electricity, and toilet paper. I'm proud that my boys are thankful for even the little things, because our lives would be really different without them.

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Slacking Off Saturday

This morning started off a little bumpy. We were suppose to pick up the boys' friends to take to catechism with us while their mom worked at a mom2 mom sale, then they would come back to play for about an hour at our house. We were up and out of the house and went to get our friends who would be with their mom at our old school. We were there at the agreed upon time and didn't see their van, thinking they may have taking a different vehicle to accommodate all the stuff for the sale, we went into the school to search. Almost instantly the assistant principal noticed us and gave us the stink eye while we located our friends table. They weren't there either, so stopped home to grab my phone and check for a missed call or text saying they would be late, no missed calls or texts. Thinking I had misunderstood our arrangement we headed to catechism not wanting to risk being late. Later my friend sent a message and we were able to sort things out and have her boys still come over after catechism, that she had dropped them off at after I had left (somehow we passed in crossing near the church). My boys were excited to have their friends over whom we don't see too often anymore and after a short hour it was time to return them to their mom. We dropped them off at the sale and helped their mom box and load up what was left. She even gave me some clothes that would fit Jake and some to take to my brother for my his son and his girlfriend's son.

Later in the afternoon Jordan had catechism (he only goes once a month) after dropping him off the other boys and I set about searching for some not too dried leaves for two of  our fall bucket list projects. Lack of planning on my part we are doing these projects at the end of the season when most of the leaves are brittle. We had to check a couple parks before we found one with enough leaves still in the trees and on the ground (the park maintenance guys sure are on top of all the fallen leaves around here). While we were searching for the leaves, we were not going to start the project until Jordan was with us. Part of the idea of our bucket list as to do things as a family. We figured we'd just get a jump start on collecting the supplies. Once we thought we had enough leaves the boys took off to race and roll down a hill we usually go sledding on.

When it was time to pick up Jordan, we hung around the church waiting for mass to start. They have a soccer field next to the church so we spent some time playing while we waited. Jacob and I took turns as goalie and practiced our shooting skills, then Joey and I played with a scoop catch game. Jordan decided it was too chilly and sat in the van, I think he just wanted to play on his IPod. (I'm not sure I like this whole teenage I want to hang by myself thing.) It seems this is the easiest way for us to make it to mass, just to hang out on Saturday after Jordan's class.

We actually attend 3 different churches, everyone has a different church they prefer so we alternate which one we go to. Sunday mornings are rough for us because it's the only day we sleep in passed 7:30, and I try to allow the boys to do that (and myself too).

Saturday service at this church works well for us usually, today however after all the fresh air a 5:00 mass was too much for Jake and he slept through 80% of it. Today's mass was a children's mass and after service there was pizza and a craft for the kids. We were unable to stay for the activity because it was a $4 donation per person and I didn't have enough money on me. The nice gentleman looked at us with pity and told us we could just go ahead and stay, I can't stand when we people pity us for not having enough money and thanked him as we left. Joey was sure to voice his disapproval about leaving and carried on all the way out the door about 'how they had food there and he was starving, couldn't we just please stay and get some food, he was so hunger.' I'm thinking great now these people think were poor AND don't have enough food; which is not the case, Joey just really wanted the pizza.

Once we were home and he had a couple turkey hot dogs in his tummy he forgot all about the pizza. We spent the rest of the evening cleaning up the mess from having friends over and just relaxing. We were slacking today and didn't really get much done, but that's what Saturday's are for right :)

We did just complete our sixth week as part of the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge and our total is up to 106 hours now (only 894 more to go). The freezing cold, windy days had us inside more than we had planned, as did Jacob's breathing issues this week.