5 Holidays In December You Didn’t Know About – #3 Las Posadas

Originating in Spain, but now mostly celebrated in just Mexico, Guatemala and the Southwestern US, Las Posadas is nine-days of processions symbolizing Mary and Joseph's search for lodging in Bethlehem. It begins on December 16 and ends on December 24th. In the evening, carolers proceed to nativities that are placed among important plants including native Mexican pines and poinsettias. SO without this holiday, we wouldn't have the traditional Christmas plant.

A tradition in Mexico for nearly 400 years, its roots are in Catholicism, but even Protestant Latinos follow the tradition. Some stories trace it back to the 16th century and St. Ignatius of Loyola or Friar Pedro de Gant in Mexico. Others say that early friars combined Spanish Catholicism with the December Aztec celebration of the birth of Huitzilopochtli.