Entren Santos Peregrinos!
In the very dark darkness of an Ocracoke December evening, just as a light rain begins to fall, several families gather on the side of the road to travel together to Mel and Vanessa Perez’s home for the first night of the Las Posadas celebration. They wait for Junior and Gloria Perez, who, with their kids, are bringing the Nativity scene, the essential part of Las Posadas. (It’s a large crèche with all the usual cast of characters save one – there’s no Holy Infant. He hasn’t been born yet!)
Raul Ibarra was the first on the scene and he told me that in Mexico, Las Posadas is a big celebration, with everybody out walking along the streets. Here, on Ocracoke, it’s smaller and quieter, but for the families who observe the tradition, it’s an important part of their cultural heritage.
Once gathered, Ocracoke peregrinos (pilgrims) usually walk to their destination, but in the rain, cars and golf carts were the transportation methods of choice. Other families joined the group once they arrived at Mel and Vanessa’s. Still more people were already inside waiting for their part in the ceremonial call-and-response singing that begins Las Posadas each night.
A couple of young boys carry the nativity scene up the stairs to the front door. Everyone follows and, once gathered, starts to sing. Loosely translated, they sing, “Let us in” and get an answer “no, you can’t come in.” So they ask again, this time explaining that they are tired and need a place to stay. No again. But the third time’s the charm: it turns out that it’s Maria and Jose requesting entry, and the doors open wide with the final song, “Entren Santos Peregrinos (Enter Holy Pilgrims).” Everyone is welcomed inside with a promise that although it’s a humble home, its hospitality is offered from the heart.
This annual Christmas celebration begins each year on December 16th and culminates on Christmas Eve. The Spanish used the Posadas to teach Mexican natives about the Nativity, and Mexico has been celebrating for at least 400 years since then. The peregrinos gather and parade to a different home each night, starting at the last place they stopped (e.g., on the second night, they started at Mel’s and proceeded to Rocio Trejo’s; the next night they will start at Rocio's and go to the next house….); on Christmas Eve, they celebrate at the church (in Mexico) or at the Community Center (on Ocracoke). Gloria Perez has organized Ocracoke’s Las Posadas for the past few years and she puts out the word on who’s hosting and when.
The nine nights represent the nine months prior to Jesus’ birth. “Posada” mean “a place to stay” and refers to the homes that open their doors to the celebrants. Once inside, the adults and older kids gather around the Nativity scene and pray the rosary, sing Christmas carols (I recognized “El Nino del Tambor” – Little Drummer Boy!) or read a reflection of the day. Lulu Perez led the praying and singing, assigning different parts around the room.
Younger kids go with Gloria to hear a story, learn the rosary (she makes it enticing with candy instead of beads), or play games that teach them about the Posadas or Mexican Christmas traditions. One of the nights I attended, Gloria read to them about the legend of La Noche Buena (poinsettia), which children in Mexico often carry during Las Posadas. She reminded them to pray with their mind, lips, and heart.
Prayers said and lessons learned, it’s time to eat, drink, and make merry. Sometimes there are piñatas for the niños.
At Mel and Vanessa’s, they served up tamales and concha (sweet bread), washed down with atole, specifically, a chocolate-based atole called champurrado (hot chocolate). I called it delicious.
“Each host serves whatever they want,” Gloria Perez told me. “It could be just coffee – they don’t have to make food but most people do, usually tamales, bread, and cookies. We help each other host the posadas, help with the cooking.”
Vanessa said she had been making tamales (for an estimated 50 people) since ten o’clock that morning. In the interest of good journalism, I had to try one. It was the first pork tamale I’ve tasted, and I can report that it was even better than chicken!
Another popular treat for Posadas is “Ponche” – a traditional drink made with fruit, cinnamon, and sugar, and served hot. I got to try some of it last year, when I talked myself into the Posadas hosted by Ely Villanueva.
On Christmas Eve, all the participants will bring food for a giant potluck at the Community Center. It lasts until at least midnight – that’s when they place the Baby Jesus in the Nativity scene and sing to him and it’s officially Christmas.
Gloria said that she started organizing Las Posadas after a couple of years when Ocracoke’s Mexican families skipped it. She remembers the celebration from growing up in Mexico, and wants her kids to know the same traditions. She’s lived in the U.S. since 1999, Ocracoke since 2001, and she became a citizen in 2012. Her children, Edwin and Melanie, have always lived on Ocracoke and only know the island’s Las Posadas.
“In Mexico, there are so many people that they can’t all fit inside and the party is in the street,” she said.
It may be a smaller party on Ocracoke, but it’s no less festive. People of all ages attended; the women sat and talked in the kitchen, the men stood and talked on the porch, the kids ate, then ran around, people laughed and forced more food upon each other, and everyone enjoyed Christmas cheer. (And there were no presents – what a nice respite from obligatory holiday gift-giving!)
“It’s a tradition to look forward to,” said Kevin Perez, who came to the U.S. with his mom and sister when he was two. “It’s about family and community, and it gets you in the holiday spirit. And there’s food.”
“The rosary is the most important part,” said his mother, Lulu Perez. “For some people, the food is the most important, and that’s good, too."
