Mexico may have its troubles these days, but at least you don’t find proponents of political correctness waging the so-called War on Christmas here.
That’s evident by the ubiquitous appearance of nacimientos (nativity scenes) that pop up not only in church and home settings, but also in schools, government buildings, businesses and other public spaces.
Nacimientos have figured into Mexico’s holiday celebrations for nearly 500 years, tracing back to the arrival of Spanish missionaries, particularly friars of the Franciscan order. They brought with them the practice of mounting a live representation of the birth of Jesus on Christmas Eve – as originated by Saint Francis of Assisi in 1223 – and turned it into a palpable mode of evangelizing the pagan natives. To this day, nacimiento viviente pantomimes (see facing page) are commonly staged in churchyards across the nation.
In time, Mexican craftsmen started making figurines to compose El Belén (the Bethlehem scene), fashioning objects from myriad materials: wood, wax, ceramic, plaster, stone, straw, corn husks, tin and other metals.
The nacimiento was thus adopted as the principal holiday adornment in nearly every household and public venue. Its status has not been diminished even as modern marketing schemes have succeeded in tempting Mexican consumers to deck the halls with Christmas trees, Santas, reindeer, snowmen and strings of glittery electric lights.
El Misterio & company
The focal point of every nacimiento is a cave or rustic stable, where Mary and Joseph huddle over the manger bed of the Baby Jesus. The three central figures comprise what is referred to as El Santo Misterio (the Holy Mystery). Other standard elements include an angel, the ox and the ass kneeling beside the cradle, shepherds and their flocks, and Los Reyes Magos (the Magi).
The figures may be simply positioned in a bed of heno (Spanish hay), musgo (moss) or set in an elaborate multi-level landscape built out of tables and crates covered with papel roca (paper painted in earth tones). Masterpiece displays often fill an entire room, patio or portal.
The terrain is commonly filled out with mosses, sand and colored sawdust, hand-painted backdrops, artificial palm trees and cacti or live plants, a cellophane waterfall spilling into a mirror pond and assorted human and animal figures lined up en route to adore the Niño Dios (Christ Child).
Secondary scenes are frequently populated with ordinary folks engaged in everyday activities – merchants toting baskets filled with goods, farmers milking cows or roasting freshly butchered meats, fishermen casting from their boats, weary folks lying down for a siesta, even Arab infidels hunkered outside their tents. A statuette of Lucifer lurking in the shadows and a serpent writhing along the ground are added to represent the forces of evil.
Another peculiarity of the Mexican nativity is that scene may not remain static. The manger customarily remains empty until December 24. Many families wait until after the Christmas Eve Mass to bring out the image of the Baby Jesus, singing lullabies as they lay Him in the crib. The Wiseman are often kept aside until after Christmas day, to be repositioned periodically before January 6 when they reach the end of their star-guided trek to Bethlehem.
Towards the end of the prolonged holiday season devout families briefly remove the Niño Dios to be dressed in a new outfit and seated in a chair.
Finally, the cherished image is carried to church for a special blessing on the February 2 celebration of La Candelaria (Candlemas).