House façade decorated for a posada procession; before breaking the piñatas; Christmas season, December 21, 1998.
Since 1945 the rituals associated with Christmas, and especially Epiphany, which center around nativity scenes, have increased in importance, primarily because of Father Huacúz, who encouraged the nacimiento custom, plus the prestige which accrues to those who take part (1967).
Before the breaking of the piñatas, stout twine is strung across the street every 40-50 feet, with papel chino [colored tissue paper folded and cut to produce designs] and rubber balloons tied to them. Christmas trees with blinking lights in front of every house, many with recorded music of basic Christmas tunes. . . . The street is immaculately scrubbed (with soap and water) clean, without a trace of rubbish. . . . We found a huge procession of at least 1,000 people, preceded by Los Perigrinos (a small float with 18 inch high figures of Mary on a donkey and Jesus beside her), carried by four girls (of about 14 years of age) from the barrio. A fiesta-size musical band brought up the rear. . . . Hard to take pictures on account of the crowd and speed at which the procession moved. . . . Finally, Posada was granted at the house just east of Clara Villagomez'. . . . Then all active participants went inside for a pozole supper. . . . Before the piñatas are brought out the aguinaldo is distributed by men from gunny sack size bags, to young and old alike. This consists of paper bags with peanuts, perhaps an apple or tangerine, a bit of sugar cane, and toasted maize known as pontedura. Meanwhile the young boys (from about 7 to 15) were getting restless, and engaged in horseplay, shooting off buscapies [firecrackers that skip along the ground]. Finally, about 9:30 the first kid is blindfolded, given the bat, turned around several times to disorient him, and placed under the piñata, which he strikes at as it swishes over his head (December 21, 1998 fieldnotes).
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