Let me tell you a little bit about how Mexicans celebrate December in general and how the culture is different to the American culture, including the food we have and the things we do and why. (I’m not sure if other Hispanic cultures celebrate the same, so I’m just going to focus on Mexico.)
Christmas
Traditional food:
Mom always cooks tamales for Christmas and they always taste so good. Making tamales usually takes about an hour, but since we make so much, it takes us a good 5 to 6 hours to make just tamales. If you’ve never tried them, I definitely recommend the red ones. They’re better and spicier, in my opinion. They’re made with a corn based dough and filled with meat, beans, chicken, cheese, and other kinds. Then, you wrap the ingredients in corn husks or banana leaves, which are removed before eating.
Next is Posole. Everything in this soup and the flavor is extremely good. It’s made from hominy with meat and chicken or pork and is seasoned with shredded lettuce, chili pepper, onion, garlic, avocado, salsa or limes, and radishes. There are different colors to it, too: white, green, or red. It depends on how spicy you want your soup, but I recommend the red one.
Last but not least, Ponche. Ponche could be every Hispanic’s favorite drink…unless you can’t drink it because of your age. Ponche can’t be Ponche if it doesn’t have alcohol, but the alcohol is optional. It’s basically a fruit punch that has different fruits in it, for example, apples, oranges, guavas, pineapple, etc.
The People:
The people who come to the house are unique. Imagine hosting a party at your house and open the door for guests to come in. You’ll see Tia walking with her kids, holding a tray of food, and Tio with a modelo, tequila, or any kind of alcohol. More people walk in with speakers, more food, and a lot of presents. You’ll see Abuelas/os watching TV or playing with the kids, kids sleeping in chairs, and random babies sleeping in your bed. One special thing is that we’re not allowed to open the gifts until midnight since it’s a way to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We only celebrate the 24th, not the 25th.
New Year’s
Traditions:
When it’s New Years, we all gather in a family member’s house and basically do the same as Christmas. When the countdown happens, you have to be ready, and it might be weird, but for New Year’s, some people have this tradition: wearing a specific color of underwear to achieve certain attributes.
Green: Hope, health, calm, protection, and youth
Red: Love, passion, and strength
Yellow: Money, business, prosperity, and abundance
Blue: Rationality and balance
White: Peace, hope, health, and harmony
Orange: Enthusiasm and vituality
Pink: Romance and love
Purple: Spiritually and meditation
Also, we have to eat 12 green grapes when the clock strikes 12. It’s part of a ritual that attracts good luck and a better year. In addition, we have to be ready to leave the house with suitcases and come back inside. This means that the new year is going be full of trips around the world and luck in your travels.
The Three Wise Men
(Los Tres Reyes Magos)
Los Reyes Magos is celebrated in the new year, and it’s honestly the best. The Three Wise Men are celebrated on January 6th and it’s basically the same thing as Christmas, just not as big. This special day is when the Wise Men gave God gifts for Jesus’ birth. On January 5th, we’re supposed to write a letter of gratitude and what we wish to obtain. We write these letters and put them inside a boot that is placed in front of the front door. Then, the next day, we buy or bake a rosca and cut it with family into sections. A rosca is delicious bread with lime, orange zest, and, the best part, a hidden baby Jesus inside of it. Usually, there’s 4-6 baby Jesus hidden and whoever gets the baby has to invite everyone over for tamales on February 2nd.
Conclusion
I cant wait for the holidays to have fun and not sleep all night long! I absolutely recommend being invited to a Hispanic party! It’s definitely exhausting but so much, providing memories that are guaranteed to last a lifetime!
