Warning: This is going to be a long post. I've been thinking I should start giving titles to my entries. I could call this one Las Posadas and also Reading Notes.

Last night I played the piano for Las Posadas service at church. Las Posadas is a Mexican tradition that renacts Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay in Bethlehem. The service wasn't too different from the regular Spanish (Lutheran) mass except there was a mariachi group playing, too. Also, we sang the traditional Las Posadas song in which the men (Joseph), the women (Mary), and the children (the "chorus") sing different parts. My Spanish isn't very good but the song begins with Joseph and Mary looking for a place to stay, and the children sing that Mary is very sad because at the inn there is no room. Finally, everyone sings, "Enter holy travelers, receive the corner of my heart."

After the service, there were at least four different piñatas for the children to hit and open to get the sweets inside. We were also served a drink like hot chocolate and sweet bread (champurrado and pan dulce).

Reading Notes will have to be posted later. It is a sunny day, and I really need to do laundry, which I should have had out on the line by now to take full advantage of the sunshine. But hopefully it's still not too late.