Celebrating Las Posadas: The holiday of hospitality

In the days leading up to Christmas, many Latin American families are gathering together in each other’s homes to celebrate hospitality during Las Posadas. Rooted in Mexican tradition, the Catholic holiday is widely celebrated across Latin America, Guatemala, Honduras and America. Celebrated from Dec. 16-24, the nine-day celebration aims to emphasize the journey Mary and Joseph took to Bethlehem leading up to Jesus’ birth while highlighting acts of kindness and hospitality. “There’s this idea of the journey; there’s this idea of the uncertainty; there’s this idea of welcoming the stranger and offering hospitality,” Yuriria Rodriguez, episcopal priest and artist with Arte de Mexico in Indiana, said. “All those are very present in religion, and in culture, and Latin America.” “Posada” translates to “inn” — like a bed and breakfast, Rodriguez said. However, the story takes a bit of a twist in Latin American cultures, where instead of being turned away, Mary and Joseph are recognized as the parents of the coming savior and are welcomed into the inn. “The tradition of finding room in the inn started very much with the 16th century when the Catholic priests were trying to teach the indigenous community about religion — about Christian religion,...