Las Posadas offers chance to unite cultures, open doors

As Joseph knocked on the door to ask for a place to spend the night Friday, an angelic voice pierced the air, singing a plea on his behalf: “En el nombre del Cielo/ os pido posada/pues no puede andar/ya mi esposa amada.”

“In the name of Heaven/I beg you for lodging/for she cannot walk/My Beloved Wife.”

A chorus of voices responded, also in Spanish, essentially telling young Joseph and his wife, Mary, to scram.

And so they did, along with about 200 other people who followed children dressed as Joseph and Mary around a downtown block as part of a traditional Hispanic Advent celebration known as Las Posadas.

Originating in Spain and celebrated for hundreds of years in Latin America, Las Posadas celebrates the story of Joseph and his pregnant wife on their journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where they tried to find shelter but were turned away. In a festive re-enactment of the event, celebrants in Latino communities typically go from house to house asking to be let in, only to be sent away.

They eventually end up at a house that’s been designated as the fiesta site, and everyone enters for an evening of prayer, singing, pinata-bashing and food. The scene is played out every day for nine days, starting Dec. 16.

Friday evening’s Las Posadas in Colorado Springs strayed from some of the more traditional events. For one thing, it was a one-night celebration. And instead of going from house-to-house, participants started at St. Mary’s Cathedral and ending up at the Marian House Soup Kitchen for a feast of Mexican food and dancing.

Catholic Charities of Central Colorado, which operates the Marian House, sponsored the event, its first-ever Las Posadas, to benefit its Family Immigration Services program and call attention to the parallels between the biblical tale and the story of present-day immigrants.

“How many people now are knocking on doors looking for a place to stay?” said Father John Toepfer, associate pastor of St. Mary’s and associate director of Hispanic ministry for the Diocese of Colorado Springs. “A lot of brothers and sisters come to us from other countries looking for a place to stay.”

Corey Almond, director of Catholic Charities’ immigration services, said the event is a way to unite different cultures.

“I think we need more opportunities for Anglos and Hispanics to celebrate together,” said Almond, who oversees an operation that offers English as a second language classes and helps immigrants navigate the system to get green cards, become citizens and adapt to life in the U.S.

The event began at St. Mary’s, where the largely non-Hispanic crowd learned about Las Posadas and the song they would sing on their way out the door. Then, with a police car blocking traffic on Bijou Street, the crowd crossed the street to Catholic Charities’ Hanifen Center, where a child dressed as Joseph knocked on the door as guitarist Michelle Lobato sang the traditional song asking for shelter. After getting an earful of rejection, everyone left the Hanifen Center, walked around the block and returned to the complex to party at the Marian House.

“This is a great time,” said Caleb Lazaro, co-pastor at El Centro, a church with a mostly immigrant congregation. “It’s important to see the connection between the Holy family and immigrants.”