Irene De La Cruz: Christmas a time for old traditions, new ones
This holiday season seems to have crept up on me almost without my realizing that it was just around the corner. The funny part is that I’ve come across many others who are feeling the same way.
Now, it’s just two weeks or so before Christmas and I realize that old traditions are being repeated while new ones are being established.
Every family and every culture has its own traditions in celebrating Christmas, and growing up I remember the routine. We would stay up until midnight on Christmas Eve, go to midnight Mass and then return home to open presents.
But it’s all in the preparation and what takes place beforehand, right? The making of tamales, the “posadas,” the holiday gatherings, the baking, the toy drives, the coat drives, the food drives.
I remember growing up and going with my mom to the store to purchase the ingredients for making tamales. There are the hojas (corn husks); a certain type of meat for the filling; and the masa (corn dough). It was fun getting our hands into the masa as other ingredients were mixed into it (imagine Play-Doh), but my mom had to get her hands in there to give it the final “thumbs up” and make sure the consistency was just right.
After so many years of making tamales, you could say she could almost make them with her eyes closed. Then there were those tamales made for some “comadres” – godparents, friends and neighbors – and those made for the family.
But before the big day arrived, there were other traditions that took place, like the posadas, a nine-day procession of a re-enactment of the holy family’s journey to Bethlehem in search of an inn.
Today in Planada, Pilar Zaragoza holds the torch as one of the best posadas held in town. She goes the whole nine yards with food that includes tamales, “champurado” (similar to hot chocolate), “buñuelos” (fried dough balls) and a piñata for the children.
In South Merced the Vega family used to travel to Mexico to celebrate Christmas. Daughter Maria Vega says she remembers the excitement of celebrating in Mexico with piñatas, sparklers, and visiting the “cabañas” (cabins). When her grandmother passed away in Mexico, they stopped making that journey and started celebrating here in Merced. Food is served potluck style and gifts are exchanged.
The celebrations don’t end on Christmas day.
For example, there is the celebration of the three kings on Jan. 6. In Delhi at Mexican bakery La Michoacana Panadería y Taquería, owners Casimiro and Juanita Caballero help keep tradition alive for the many community members who celebrate the three kings six days after Christmas Day.
They produce more than 600 orders of a bread called the “Rosca de Reyes.” It is a circular bread or cake with some candied fruit mixed in, but the key component is a miniature figure of the baby Jesus also inserted in the bread. When families get together to celebrate the three kings on Jan. 6, the bread is usually served with hot chocolate, and whoever gets the miniature figurine of the baby Jesus in a slice of bread is the one responsible for hosting the next party.
On a community level, Christmas is celebrated in a variety of ways throughout Merced County. Starting with the Christmas parades in several communities such as Merced, Atwater, Livingston, Los Banos and Gustine. I especially like the one in Gustine – a small but mighty event with more tractors and agricultural equipment decorated with Christmas lights than I’ve ever seen before in a parade.
There are also chamber Christmas mixers; a display of community Christmas trees at the Merced County Museum; canned food drives at different businesses, agencies and organizations; toy drives; coat drives; and fund-raising events. Each community in Merced County always comes through for the needy as much as possible during the holiday season – a clear indication that local residents don’t have a problem lending a helping hand when called upon.
It’s a time to rejoice for many reasons. So take the time to practice those traditions that will hopefully continue within your family or your community for years to come – or begin a new one. No matter how big or how small an activity or an action might be, it becomes a tradition when you believe in it and give it importance and significance. ¡Feliz Navidad! Merry Christmas!
Irene De La Cruz is a resident of Planada and has been involved with a number of community events and projects throughout Merced County. She owns her own business. She attended Merced College and California State University, Sacramento. She can be contacted at dlcirenel@ gmail.com.
This story was originally published December 11, 2014 at 7:37 PM with the headline "Irene De La Cruz: Christmas a time for old traditions, new ones."