The Chapman Library in Salt Lake has transformed the traditional Mexican Christmas ritual into a celebration for everyone.
Las Posadas is a holiday celebration popular across Latin America. Based on the story of Mary and Joseph looking for shelter during the birth of Jesus, it usually involves a procession from house to house like a band of carolers, with the posada party being refused twice before being given entry and feted with traditional decorations (farolitos, poinsettias, papel picado, star-shaped piñatas) and food (tamales, bizcochos, churros, hot chocolate).
Although religious in origin, posadas are celebrated as a wider community gathering of culture and family. At the Chapman Branch library in Salt Lake, where 50% of the patrons speak Spanish as their first language, the posadas celebration is entirely secular, but based on the universal story of an unhoused couple desperately seeking a home for the night…