Decorated Palms? Posadas and Meeting the Three Kings

Contemptuously thinking, in a way many of us Minnesota folks do (WE don‘t have accents, the deep south and the east coast do; WE are educated, the Appalachian folk are hillbillies; WE are the cultured, hard working salt of the earth, California is a bunch of feckless roustabouts; WE celebrate Christmas as it was supposed to be celebrated; albeit, it rarely snows in Bethlehem or Nazareth—but don‘t slow me down with the details). 

SO… I stopped at a house decorated in Puerto Rico with all of their abject and tawdry Christmas decorations—my nose high up in the air. Santa and fake snow on top of the roof. Hmmmmph; really! In my photo shoot the sun is splitting the sky, and palms are in full view. The rays hurt my eyes and melt my glacial, moraine, MN-Irish heart. 

It is not a joke; the Caribbean IS on the same calendar. Even so, they have no need of daylight savings time being below the Tropic of Cancer and it doesn’t FEEL Christmassie from a MN perspective.

But, of course Christmas is celebrated—it is just different.

Today, a teacher friend informed me to anticipate Posadas (poh-sah-dah).
Beginning on December 16 and for the next nine days, through December 24, Posada (inn or shelter) processions reenact the search of Mary and Joseph for lodging. 

My friend continued to say that visitors will come to our door with lanterns—it could be at any time, sometimes as late as 2am & you are expected to take the visitors in and feed them and offer drinks and stuffing a piñata in case children are in tow. 

Usually they are filled it with miniature stars, birds, lambs and other traditional animal forms. Now, like most traditions in PR, the natives can turn any event into a beer bust and time to smile, dance and play loud music from their cars.

Mary, with labor pains and desperately looking for anywhere to shelter her baby; settles for an unsanitary manger full of range animals (if this is what Blue Cross offered you, would you crack open a couple of 6 packs?—if so, you‘re due a visit).

Even for the king of kings, I say to him that I do not go across the road without a lick of lipstick… and at 2am in the morning I might just be the first in Puerto Rico to say, “Go away, go away, there is no room at this inn!!”

Some say that MN nice is a bit too heavily ladled with a Finnish standoffishness, German pragmatism and daylight savings time; but 2 am?!?!? Get lost!

Hey, if you ever want to come eye to eye with a swamp crocodile or meet a death-dealing cobra with syringe like fangs—wake me at 2am.

Luckily, we will be commuting between land and water and heading back to MN on the first day of Posada for a snow covered Christmas in Woodbury.

Don’t judge me… I hear you…

Give me your address, and me and the lads will drop over to your house all liquored up with the Posada tradition, and see the welcome WE get!!!

Wonder if this is a good time to let Kris Janisch know that I promised the Three Kings on Friday night to anticipate a visit from the editor—a real interview. The gorgeous men I met showcased their unique excitement & creativity with a difference. The town was alight with music, & dance.