and the christmas season is off!

Posadas are to Guatemala as Christmas parties are to the states. In the month of December, posadas take place multiple times a week. It is an annual tradition in which people reenact Mary and Joseph's search for a place to stay. So what happens exactly? A group of people wander from place to place via candlelight. Upon arrival, they begin a back-and-forth sing-song with a group inside. The first few places turn away the group outside. The last place always makes room for them, just as the stable did for Mary and Joseph. The group then joyously enters, and the party begins!

For us at NPH, our first posada took all the kids around the house. They even stopped at the volunteer houses (only for us to turn them away). After a few more stops, they were finally taken in at the cafeteria. Once inside, we all participated in a prayer service, followed by a fiesta! It was a wild and crazy period in which all the kids had a swing at pinatas they had made themselves. For me, it was a memorable evening filled with a beautiful sense of community.