Las Posadas is a Latin American tradition where for the nine days leading up to Christmas, a couple dressed as Mary and Joseph lead processions around their town or village, seeking refuge in various houses as they go. This represents the journey Mary and Joseph made from Nazareth to Bethlehem before Jesus’ birth.
Here in Littleton we have our own version, with a knitted Mary and Joseph, accompanied by a donkey, flock of sheep and sheepdog (again, all knitted, much to the relief of the host families!) They spend a night with each family and have had many adventures over the years, including going ice skating, attending school plays and pantomimes, and being taken on a night hike. However, they also enjoy a quiet night in in front of the fire, watching Strictly Come Dancing!
The Posada starts off from our 4pm Café Church service at St Catherine’s Church Room on Sunday 4th December – all ages welcome – and returns for the Crib Service in church at 4pm on Christmas Eve. The Café Posada will focus on work done by the Toybox charity (toybox.org.uk) in Latin America – every year the Posada raises hundreds of pounds for this very worthwhile cause.
We still have a couple of nights available so if you live in Littleton and would like to host the Posada please contact Carol Coleman (carolcoleman123@hotmail.com). The Posada also has a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/LittletonPosada/ where you can follow its journey around the village.