Sisters celebrates Las Posadas

Adapting to the winter's cold, Sisters families, friends and holiday guests celebrated the 400-year-old Hispanic tradition of Las Posadas on Friday night at Sisters Elementary School.

With numb fingers and toes a major concern, the hallways and corridors of the school substituted nicely for the neighborhood door-to-door caroling normally performed to reenact the Bethlehem ordeal of Mary and Joseph as they searched for shelter before the birth of Jesus. Being turned down at random inns, the couple is eventually admitted to the humble livestock grotto to rest.

Event organizer Irlanda Partida recognizes the importance of keeping Mexican traditions alive here in Sisters Country.

"It's a way for Hispanic residents to share their culture with the rest of the community and have them join the party," she said. "We also have the piñata for the children and the food is made from scratch with all the area families contributing."

Carrying the symbolic statuettes of Joseph and Mary, sisters Anna and Jennifer Ortega led a singing group of more than forty people through the corridors, stopping behind the doors leading to another school wing where they sang the traditional Pidiendo Posada song asking for shelter. Voices behind the closed doors reject the travelers in a chorus designed to send them away. Singers representing inhospitable innkeepers returned the refrain until the doors are finally flung open and the vagabond couple is greeted warmly with words translated as: "Come all you pilgrims, receive this corner even though it is poor. I give it to you with all my heart."

Following Sisters' candlelit-procession, strollers entered the auditorium for a memorable homemade meal and ceremonial piñata swatting for the kids.

Hosted by the Hispanic Coalition of Sisters with the feast provided by the entire Hispanic community, the observance is a colorful countdown to Christmas. Las Posadas literally translates in English as "the inns" or "the lodgings." The historic nine-day celebration lasts from December 16 until Christmas Eve, called Noche Buena or "Holy Night," and includes a candlelit parade of children and parents recreating the historic journey through a cold and starlit Bethlehem.

On Christmas Eve, Las Posadas culminates in day-long feasting at the Cena de Noche Buena when happy families gather for a traditional meal of romeritos (baked shrimp with rosemary), bacalao (dried cod), heaps of warm, sugary bunuelos, glasses filled with Christmas eggnog drink, coquito, and holiday platters of meat pastries called pasteles.

Jennifer Ortega was happy to see such a great turnout.

"This is our eighth year doing Las Posadas in Sisters and all the families look forward to it," she said. "Normally we'd go outside to walk from house to house but it's too cold. It's always fun and it helps me keep my culture alive and shows the younger kids some of their true Mexican heritage and teaches them the traditions. We really love introducing our Christmas calendar to Sisters, too."