CELEBRATING IN MEXICO

CASA SAUZA A Little Bit of History... The Pagan Origin of Christmas The Pagan Origin of Christmas

Long before Christmas became the celebration that we know today (that of the birth of Christ) it existed in the ancient Roman empire as Saturnalia. It wasn’t until later that it was adapted to Christianity traditions.

Saturnalia was celebrated in honor of Saturn, the god of the sun, fire and agriculture. It was originated in Rome, around 217 a. C. and was celebrated from December 17 to 23, on the days of winter solstice, because that’s when the days get longer and therefore, the sun, Saturn is invoked to come back. With this festival, he was invited to come back soon so that the crops, with his heat, would be sprout again.

The celebration began with a sacrifice at the Temple of Saturn, and a public banquet. There was a carnival atmosphere in which social norms were quite relaxed. House were decorated with plants and candles, as to invoke light to come back. Romans would give each other presents, just like we do on Christmas these days. Replacement of the pagan origin of Christmas with the Christian celebration we know today

During the Saturnalia, the Romans celebrated in an unbridled manner and the few Christians who existed then, repudiated this celebration for its excesses. Christmas as we know it today was established when the Christian religion prevailed throughout the Roman Empire. It was King Justinian who declared it a civic festivity.

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Christian Celebration of

Christmas

In Christianity, Christmas celebrates the birth of Christ in , and it’s celebrated on December 25th. Other churches - Orthodox - celebrate it on January 7th, because they don’t recognize the reform that was made to the Julian calendar, when it changed to the Gregorian calendar.

However, December 25th is indeed a holiday in many countries and is celebrated by millions of people around the world, including a large number of Navidad non-Christians.

5 Christmas in Mexico

The Aztecs celebrated during the winter the of Huitzilopochtli, god of the sun and war, around the days of December 7 to 26 of our current calendar. The first evangelizers took advantage of the coincidence of the dates to promote the celebration of Christmas and thus, gave this celebration the Christian characteristics it has today. Christmas is therefore a Western celebration that in Mexico was adopted after the arrival of the Spaniards to these lands, as part of their indoctrination of the Christian religion. Christmas is a day of celebration for Catholics, since it’s the time they commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, their savior. For this reason, they attend Mass, and in Mexico, they celebrate posadas (which commemorate the moment at which an innkeeper finally opened the doors to Mary and Joseph, so that in their stable, they could welcome Jesus to the world) and decorate their homes with the traditional nacimientos (representations of the birth of Jesus made with figures of the , shepherds, wise men and angels).

The piñatas of this time of year also have a Christian meaning, since the 7 cones that “ spring out from the center of the piñata represent the 7 capital sins, which are symbolically destroyed when destroying the piñata. ” A Celebration for All Now, this date is also celebrated by non-Christians, and for them, this night is an Christmas tradition opportunity to get together with their family and friends, have dinner together and spend time together. With this celebration, the traditional Western Christmas symbols come to our minds:

● Pine trees decorated with Christmas motifs ● The worldwide known (a Anglo-Saxon influence to Mexico) with his reindeer and gifts for children who behave well ● Snowmen and snowflakes (although in large part of Mexico doesn’t snow at all)

Whichever meaning each family decides to give to this celebration, this tradition offers in the end, an opportunity to gather with our loved ones. Many even travel from afar to meet old friends and loved ones. It is, as we usually say, a holy night, a night of peace. 10 Fun Activities for Christmas Are you celebrating this Christmas with your family and friends and want to have lots of fun together? We here share some fun ideas of things that you can do together to have 02 fun:

01 The traditional posada chants. To represent that moment when Mary and Joseph asked for an inn. The guests are divided into two groups; One group asks for an inn "from the outside" - they don’t necessarily Break the piñata. The Christmas piñata is different from the have to be outside the venue- while rest of the piñatas that we see throughout the year. This the other group answers "from the Christmas piñata has a round center from which 7 cones spring inside". It’s recommended to sing the out. This cones represent the 7 capital sins to overcome by traditional lathanies to do it, as well breaking the piñata. When you beat them, you receive your as to light candles or sparklers. If reward, represented by the candy that falls from the piñata. We you want to know the lyrics of these suggest filling the piñata with traditional Mexican candies, as songs, click here. well as seasonal fruit and peanuts, which is how these piñatas used to be traditionally filled in with. DIY Christmas Crafts.

For those who are good at working with their hands, you can organize the creation of some craft or decoration object with Christmas motifs. This craft can also be used as a present during that same celebration.

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Christmas songs karaoke. Sure! It's time to have fun and a karaoke is an excellent option to have fun with friends. It doesn't matter how horrible or great you sing, what matters is to lift everyone’s spirit and have fun together! 05 Exchanging gifts. You can’t miss the classic exchange of gifts. You don’t have to fall into consumerism, remember that the fun 06 you’ll have while playing the exchange game matters more than the gift itself. Ideas for presents? Chocolates, handmade soaps, ginger cookies, Christmas coffee cups, scarves, gloves, decorative aroma candles ... Don't forget to give this activity a touch of fun:

A. Using a dice, one gets a present until one gets X number B. Wrapping them in confusing ways so we can blindly exchange them and be surprised with what we get C. Mix them with joke gifts, such as deodorant, toilet paper... D. Hide them and make a “treasure hunt” activity to find them E. A couple of weeks before the Christmas party, write the names of the people who will be attending on a piece of paper. Each of these people should take one of these pieces of paper out so that a secret friend is assigned to them. Weeks before the Christmas party, they should all secretly exchange little presents every day (a chocolate, a Bake and decorate Christmas cookies/cupcakes. If you aren’t cute pen…) and then, during the Christmas party, they will able to bake them right there, you can bring them cooked and all find out who his/her secret friend was. have fun decorating them at the party. Children love this activity because they can decorate them with the Christmas image they like best and afterwards, eat it! 08 Enjoy watching pictures together, either of the year that’s coming to an end or of previous Christmas parties (or both!). 07

Christmas lottery. Our classic Mexican lottery, but made with Christmas motifs instead of the regular ones. Using the computers and printers that we have at hand these days, it’s very easy to make our own Christmas lottery and print it. Listen to Christmas Carols. Christmas carols remind us of the reasons that we have to get together during this holiday, They also build an 10 undeniable Christmas environment.

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Update your albums by taking new pictures together!

You have to update that family or company album. Christmas parties are an excellent opportunity to take commemorative photos, since almost all the members of the group are present. Christmas Recipes

What dishes can be prepared to celebrate Christmas? Here are some options, with a Mexican touch. The day before

Tequila Christmas Turkey. Wash and dry your turkey and inject it with tequila so that it starts absorbing it. 1 Turkey In a blender, mix the milk with the onion and garlic and cover the turkey ½ L of tequila with this mixture. Season to taste and add bay leaves and thyme. Let it ½ L of milk marinate in the fridge for 24 hours. ¼ Onion Do not forget to give it a turn it upside down once in a while, so that it 3 Garlic cloves absorbs the flavor everywhere. Only a couple of times, though. 8 Bay leaves

6 Thyme branches Cooking day Salt, pepper and oil to taste

Remove turkey from fridge, brush it with oil and bake at 220 ° C (428 ° F) for about 3:30 hours.

Very easy and delicious! Don’t forget to time your cooking well, so the turkey is done right on time for your dinner. Beef steak with Hibiscus flower You have to have your Hibiscus flower concentrate ready, that is, you should’ve boiled your Hibiscus flower in water first, until it released its sauce flavor, and then strained it.

The trick here is the sauce. You can cook the steak the way you like it In a pot, sauté some onion and garlic. Then add honey to taste, salt and best. We recommend cooking it in the oven. If you decide to do so, don’t pepper and of course, the Hibiscus concentrate. Boil for a while, to forget to sear your steak first on both sides, so that it retains its juices reduction (about 20 min). and doesn’t dry out later in the oven. Also, covering it with tin foil will

help you retain its moisture while in the oven. When searing it, you can Dissolve a teaspoon of cornstarch in a quarter of this mixture and then also give it a touch of flavor with salt, pepper and some spice of your add this quarter back to the rest of the sauce, so that it thickens. choice.

Ready! As soon as you serve your steak, bathe it with some of this sauce... Ready for a great sauce to match your steak? Here’s how to prepare the You’ll love it! hibiscus flower sauce! Mexican Seasonal Fruit Punch 4 L of water 1 Big piloncillo cone (brown sugar) Pork loin in tamarind sauce 4 Cinnamon sticks 500 gr tejocote (species of Mexican Hawthorn) 12 Medium sized chopped guavas Same preparation as the steak with hibiscus sauce, but we change the 3/4 cup of chopped prunes ingredients: the pork loin is seared in a pan, with salt, pepper, and herbs 1½ cup of chopped apples or spices, and then baked in the oven (covered with tin foil). 3 pieces of sugar cane (chopped) 1 cup of dry hibiscus flowers The sauce follows the same preparation process of the hibiscus sauce, A touch of your favorite alcoholic spirit. Rum is what’s usually added to this drink yet we, of course, suggest giving it an even more Mexican twist by using tequila. but with tamarind pulp. Sauté onion and garlic, add honey to taste and Cook in a large pot for about 15 min: then, tamarind pulp. Salt and pepper. If you want more thickness, add a Water teaspoon of cornstarch. If you want to give it a spicy touch, add some Piloncillo or brown sugar dried hot peppers -of your choice. Cinnamon Add the fresh tejocotes before the rest of the fruit so they soften a little. Bon appetit! Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for an hour. The touch of alcohol should be added when serving each cup, to taste. You may

train your punch or not. We recommend adding a few chopped pecan nuts on top when serving as well. Cheers! Ideas to add a very Mexican Christmas touch to your decorations Fortunately, in Mexico, land of artisans, we have a great variety of traditional objects that can help give your Christmas decorations a very Mexican touch. (Yes, we are also inviting you to come during this season!)

Christmas Our Very Mexican Mexican Nacimientos Wreath on you door You can decorate your traditional Christmas tree with: Nacimientos are Nativity scenes set up with the figures of Mary, Made of natural fibers and full of color. You can buy them or ● Small Mexican handmade toys. Joseph, Baby Jesus, Shepherds, Angels and the 3 Wise men. Our make them yourself. How to make one? Using a wire that forms ● Christmas spheres woven with palm. You Mexican artisans are very creative which is why, we may find them in a circle; it’ll be the base to which you will add any decoration can find them in plain or mixed colors as many shapes, colors and materials, according to the region of their objects you want: Palm spheres, jute bows, Mexican rag dolls, well as in natural palm color. origin. They can be made from: brass figures (there are three-dimensional stars that are made ● Christmas figures made of of brass ● Jute with this material and are perfect for the occasion) ... Whatever ● Alebrijes (Colorful Mexican figures of ● Corn leaves you find in your craft market and you’d like to decorate it with! fantastical creatures) ● Ceramic ● Blown glass figures ● Brass In short, our artisans make several Christmas products ● Wood using traditional techniques and materials. It’s just a ● Blown glass matter of walking around local or craft shops (or The main figures that you should include are: Joseph, Mary, baby markets) and choosing what we like best from such a Jesus. That can be considered a nacimiento. You can also add the 3 large and varied offer. wise men, shepherds, and stable animals. Seasonal Santa Claus Mexican Christmas Piñatas Decoration As we’ve already mentioned, this season's piñatas are Why not? A very Mexican Santa Claus, reindeer or snowman Be as creative as you can be! These ideas will for sure give rise different from the rest. Its round center and its 7 cones Yes, we’ve already received a lot of influence from Anglo-Saxon to many others that you may come up with. The idea is to cheer are characteristic of the Christmas piñata. They come in Christmas, but we can also give it a Mexican touch, one that would up, have fun and experiment! all colors and sizes. match the decoration of the rest of the house.

This allows you to decorate the following with them: Your decoration can be very elegant, if you use neutral, silver ● Your Christmas tree, if they are small, like ● Top your Santa Claus with a Mexican sombrero and gold colors, or also very fun and less formal, if you use a lot spheres ● That snowman looks cold, throw a Mexican poncho on it of color and different elements. There are lots of options for all ● A wall, if they are medium-sized ● Those reindeers would look great with a Mexican woven kinds of tastes! Of course, you must also first choose a basic ● Hang them from the ceiling or from any scarf style or theme, so you don't mix things randomly and end with a branch of a tree in your garden, if they are mess. Harmonize the objects according to what you want to large. achieve. ● You can even leave them resting on the

floor, as a “Christmas corner”. Probably using The beauty of giving a Mexican touch to everything, is that you a large one at the center and placing piñatas don’t have to limit yourself to the traditional Christmas colors of different sizes and colors around it. (green, white and red, like our Mexican flag… we leave those

colors for our Independence day, September 16th).You can feel free to fill your house with different colors: The spheres that our craftsmen weave are of different colors, our toys, blown glass and brass decoration, the same. Play with all the possible combinations you can make! Our recommendation is that you always use a neutral base color and add touches of different colors according to your tastes and what you have in mind as a project. Pamper Yourself!

Your friends and family will be happy to see all the effort and If you are looking for a traditional Mexican Christmas party or dedication that you’ve put to please them based on the ideas that posada, what better place to celebrate it than Tequila, Jalisco, cradle we’ve offered in this ebook. However, if being a host or "doing it of Mexicanity? Especially if the venue is an old traditional house, yourself" is not your thing, you can always put yourself in the hands such as the Quinta Sauza. of experts so that they take care of it all while you just enjoy the party along with your guests. Everything you

might need and A venue with more! charm Illumination We have everything you might need Furniture for your event:

Contact our expert on events planning so Decor that you both decide which are the best Crockery options for your posada, whether it’s a Flowers business or family/friends celebration. Music Catering Merry Christmas from all of us at Click here to Sauza! contact us 21