The children sang, but the adults sang louder.
The children paraded up the aisle of Immaculada Concepción, a Catholic church in Waukegan, to celebrate posadas, the nine days before Christmas that Mary and Joseph spent searching for shelter. When the children reached the door, they sang the traditional dialogue in Spanish, asking the adults to let them in. The adults belted the responses they had grown up singing in Mexico.
Posadas celebrations traditionally start on Dec. 16 and go until Christmas Eve. In Mexico, children traditionally lead the procession down their street or through their village, and stop at one house each night.
In Waukegan, the festivities stayed inside the church and the adjacent school.
They may not have perfectly matched standard celebrations, but all age groups enjoyed keeping the tradition flowing through generations — and even through countries.
“I want the kids to know what it’s all about, and the way we do it in Mexico,” said Tina Pickering, who grew up in Veracruz, Mexico, and has lived in the U.S. for more than 40 years. “It’s not just about presents. Jesus was born and we celebrate the tradition that God came to the world to save us.”
Pickering loves watching the children carry on the tradition she learned as a child in Mexico. She wishes they could actually go to houses rather than the church, but is happy that they celebrate posadas at all.
So is Alondra Agunlar. Her parents came to the U.S. from Mexico, and she is the first generation of her family to be born here. Her parents told stories about how they celebrated as children with piñatas and games.
Agunlar volunteered to help fasten frocks, rope belts and head scarves to the children at Immaculada Concepción, her contribution to transfer her parents’ memories to the younger generation.
“We’re trying to keep it alive in a world where, unfortunately, tradition is falling apart,” she said.
For Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, holiday celebrations start with the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12 and end with the Feast of Candelaria on Feb. 2. And Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve, is stuffed with traditional food such as tamales.
Guadalupe Carrasco came to the U.S. from Guadalajara, Mexico, five years ago. Her family spent Christmas making countless dishes usually made for special occasions, such as weddings and baptisms.
Their feasts included pork patitas, posole, mole, tamales and stuffed poblano peppers, Carassco’s favorite dish, for dinner. They drank ponche, a hibiscus tea with fruit, which could be spiked for adults.
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It takes the whole family to prepare the meal. They are still in Mexico, and Carassco is in the U.S. with only her two daughters, so she does not typically make the traditional dishes.
“That’s how I grew up,” she said. “I wish I could pass that to my kids, but the circumstances are not the same because I cannot just say like, ‘Oh, I’m going to Mexico.’ It’s hard, and things have changed.”
Not all Spanish-speaking countries share the same traditions. Spicy food is a staple of Mexican cuisine, but it is not found in dishes from the Dominican Republic.
Christmas Eve celebrations on the Caribbean island consist of roast pork and chicken, rice, guandules, a dish made with peas, rice and beans, and potato salad with apples, raisins and beats. For dessert, there is flan, bread pudding with raisins and pastel rojo al plantain, a plantain leaf filled with plantain, raisins, chicken and olives.
Lourdes Shanjani lived in Santo Domingo before coming to the U.S. 10 years ago. She said everyone in her town made almost the same dishes for Christmas Eve, but they made small plates and delivered them to their neighbors so everyone could share the feast.
“I guess what makes us what we are famous for, you could say, is that we are so happy and we celebrate with so much passion and joy,” she said. “I just love that.”
Many of her relatives immigrated to the U.S., making it easier to carry on the tradition. They prepare traditional Dominican food for the holidays, including Thanksgiving, for their kids.
Christmas is strictly for food, and presents are not exchanged until El Dia de Reyes, or Three Kings Day, on Jan. 6. It commemorates the three kings visiting baby Jesus and delivering him gifts.
Shanjani has started giving her three children some presents on Christmas Day, but she wants them to learn about her culture. Carassco shares that desire for kids. She may make some traditional food for them this year, even if the feast is smaller than what she ate as a child in Mexico.
“They have to be proud of who they are, no matter where they are. And sometimes they forget their roots. And it’s our job,” she said. “Traditions brought over here, I think it’s a very important thing for us to keep alive.”
The children may grow up with American memories, but they may also grow up with memories of their families’ native countries. At least that is the hope of their families as they share their traditions across borders and generations.
Angelica LaVito is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.