Posadas food: ponche, tamales and Christmas antojitos

What is it?

The food of the Mexican posadas, celebrated from 16 to 24 December, is one of the most extensive and lively festive menus in the national calendar. Each night for nine days, songs, prayers and processions recall the pilgrimage of Mary and Joseph as they sought shelter in Bethlehem, culminating in the breaking of a seven-pointed pinata and a festive supper. Typical foods include hot Christmas ponche (spiked with tequila, rum or brandy for adults) made with seasonal fruits, red and green tamales, chocolate atole or champurrado, bunuelos with piloncillo syrup, antojitos such as tostadas, sopes, pambazos and enchiladas, Nochebuena salad, and aguinaldos for the children (little bags filled with sweets, peanuts, mandarins, colaciones and sugar cane). It is one of the most communal gastronomic rituals of the Mexican year.

Origin and history

The posadas have a colonial New Spanish origin in the sixteenth century, attributed to the Augustinian friars of San Agustin Acolman (State of Mexico) who in 1587 obtained permission from Pope Sixtus V to hold "misas de aguinaldo" between 16 and 24 December, evangelising the Mesoamerican indigenous peoples whose calendar included winter solstice celebrations coinciding with these dates. Larousse Cocina notes that the nine nights represent the nine months of Mary's pregnancy. The seven-pointed pinata (representing the seven deadly sins, broken with the stick of faith) is an invention of the viceregal period, possibly of Italian origin transformed in Mexico. Mexico Desconocido documents that the typical posadas menu was consolidated in the nineteenth century as a combination of popular Mesoamerican antojitos (tamales, atole, ponche with local fruits) with colonial additions (bunuelos, fruit salads). The Government of Mexico recognises the posadas as a fundamental tradition of Mexican intangible cultural heritage.

Characteristic ingredients

Christmas ponche, the star drink of the posadas, combines fresh and dried seasonal fruits: tejocote, peeled and chopped sugar cane, guava, apple, prune, dried peach, tamarind, dried hibiscus and hibiscus flower. It is simmered with piloncillo, cinnamon sticks, star anise and clove for 30-45 minutes until the fruits release their flavour and the drink takes on a reddish colour. It is served hot in a clay mug; for adults it is "spiked" with a splash of tequila, white rum, brandy or aguardiente at the moment of serving. The tamales can be green with chicken, red with pork, mole, with rajas or sweet; atole accompanies them in chocolate (champurrado), vanilla, strawberry or guava versions. Bunuelos bathed in piloncillo syrup round off the menu. The children's aguinaldos hold little bags with: mandarins, peeled sugar cane, peanuts in the shell, colacion (coloured sugar sweets), jellies, peanut brittle and fairground sweets.

Cultural significance

The posadas are one of the most lively and participatory festive traditions in the Mexican calendar, celebrated for more than 400 years in neighbourhoods, parishes, churches and private homes. They bring together neighbours, family and friends for nine consecutive nights around processions, songs, pinatas and banquets that strengthen community bonds. The economy of the posadas is enormous: the production and sale of tamales, bottled or homemade ponche, aguinaldo sweets, artisan pinatas (from Acolman, San Pedro Cholula and other centres), bunuelos and atoles reaches its peak in December. The Government of Mexico and the states promote the posadas as cultural heritage, particularly in Acolman (State of Mexico), considered the official cradle of the tradition. Traditional Mexican cuisine was recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010, and the posadas are one of its most complete expressions. The tradition has been exported to Mexican communities in the United States, Central America and Europe, keeping the heritage alive.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a posada and Nochebuena?

The posadas are nine consecutive celebrations from 16 to 24 December, with songs, a procession, a pinata and a modest or festive supper held in neighbourhoods and homes. Nochebuena on the 24th is the larger family celebration with a formal dinner (salt cod, turkey, pork loin, Nochebuena salad), midnight gift-giving and midnight Mass. The ninth posada (24 Dec) merges with Nochebuena in many Mexican families.

What does Christmas ponche taste like?

It tastes like a deep, spiced infusion of fruits: the sweetness of piloncillo, the tart freshness of tejocote and hibiscus, the earthy sweetness of sugar cane, the sweet notes of guava and the spiced aroma of cinnamon, star anise and clove. When spiked it gains an alcoholic warmth that contrasts with the December chill. It is a warm, comforting and quintessentially festive drink.

How is posadas food served?

It is served at a shared table after the procession and the liturgical songs, with large pots of hot tamales, simmering vats of ponche, trays of bunuelos, and individual aguinaldos for the children after the pinata is broken. Each family or neighbourhood brings a dish; it is shared in clay mugs, paper plates or family crockery, in a festive atmosphere with carols and conversation.

Where does the posadas tradition come from?

It originates in colonial New Spain, attributed to the Augustinian friars of the convent of Acolman (State of Mexico) in 1587, authorised by Pope Sixtus V to evangelise through misas de aguinaldo from 16 to 24 December. The tradition fuses Christian elements (the pilgrimage of Joseph and Mary) with pre-Hispanic winter solstice celebrations, creating one of the most successful syncretic festivities of Mexican Catholicism.