By Stephanie Passeri-Densmore
Contributing writer
On Sunday, Dec. 10, families at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Cortland reenacted St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother’s search for lodging in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. This event, called Las Posadas, is a main feature of the Christmas season in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and the U.S. Southwest. The traditional version of Las Posadas, brought by Spanish priests 400 years ago, features a neighborhood procession, culminating in a party with special food and piñatas for the youngsters.
St. Anthony’s Faith Formation program instituted the celebration in the parish in 2008. Every year, with the exception of the pandemic shutdown, a long procession of children, family members, other parishioners and guests winds around the blocks near the church, stopping at homes of parishioners who play the part of Bethlehem innkeepers who have no intention of giving shelter to the Holy Couple. The procession is led by children dressed as St. Joseph, the Blessed Mother, angels and shepherds, followed by the adults. At each house, the boy dressed as St. Joseph knocks on the door and, pointing to his wife, explains that they urgently need a place where his wife can give birth. They are always turned away. However, each year, “innkeeper” Vivian Colongeli treats the entire procession to homemade cookies after insisting that they leave. Moving on, the group alternates reciting prayers and singing Christmas carols until arrival at the next “inn.”
Eventually, the procession returns to St. Anthony’s, where sympathetic “innkeepers” welcome the Queen of Heaven to come in and find shelter. At this point, all participants are treated to a taco lunch, followed by a piñata party.
Las Posadas is meaningful religiously as a real-life illustration of the experience of the Holy Couple. It also builds a sense of community as parishioners interact during the various aspects of the event year after year. Also, children grow up together, changing their parts over the years and having fun knocking down the candy-filled piñatas. Hannah Ostrander, 16, has been participating in St. Anthony’s Las Posadas in all kinds of weather since she was 3. “I have liked seeing how the event has developed over the years and how I have grown with it,” she said. St. Anthony’s in Cortland looks forward to continuing this celebration for many years to come.
