Christmas in Oaxaca

We are leaving for Oaxaca in one week. I have done exactly nothing to get ready. That, however, is a story for another post. Today I would like to inform you all of a few lovely Christmas Season traditions that I am looking forward to. Firstly, I am delighted that the Christmas consumerism we all love to abhor has yet to take hold in Mexico. There really is no tradition of gift giving on Christmas. A couple of weeks later, on Three Kings Day (Epiphany), small token gifts are given to children only.

Given that there are also no Christmas trees or Christmas lights, one might be forgiven for wondering just what Mexicans actually DO for Christmas. Well - and I know this going to be hard to believe - for most Mexicans, Christmas is still a religious holiday. They celebrate the birth of Jesus by following the biblical story. The major ritual that Mexicans enjoy is that of Las Posadas.

Beginning on December 16th, various houses in a given parish will host the nativity. The manger scene is set up in the first home, and then people dressed as Mary and Joseph will proceed from the church to that home, stopping at other homes along the way to sing songs and ask for lodging. They will, according to the script, be denied until they reach the home where the nativity scene is. Of course, as they journey through the streets, they acquire a long train of local families and children who follow along with lit candles and join in the singing.

At the appointed home, the entire train is finally allowed entry, and there is a party with hot drinks and snacks, and perhaps a pinata for the children. This happy scene is repeated at a different home every night until the 24th, when the creche is installed back at the church. The holy family arrives at the church at midnight on Christmas eve, and midnight Mass is spoken.

After THAT, most families go home and have a feast in the wee hours of the morning. The children drop where they may and are carried to bed. On Christmas day everyone sleeps until mid afternoon, which may be a source of envy for American parents whose children wake them up at first light, even if they have to stab them with forks.

Another picturesque tradition, this one unique to Oaxaca, is la noche de los rabanos, or "the night of the radishes." About one hundred and fifty years ago, there began a tradition in Oaxaca of people creating nativity scenes out of various local materials such as dried flowers and straw and displaying them in the zocalo, or main square. The most unusual such material was the giant Mexican radish: a truly gargantuan root that can be as big as a man's leg.

Over the years, local folks have taken this tradition to astonishing extremes, comparable, perhaps, to the fanciful, enormous gingerbread houses created and displayed in the states. For two nights, the 23rd and 24th of December, thousands of people crowd into the zocalo to see the amazing displays made out of radishes.

Some of these displays are really incredible: scale models of the city cathedral; troupes of dancers in native costumes; beloved religious icons.

I am looking forward to Christmas in Oaxaca. Christmas in America is the 800 pound gorilla of holidays - the holiday which must be appeased. For many of us, a great deal of the joy has been leached out, as we run ourselves ragged and spend more than we can afford to give our children an experience which we secretly doubt is even valuable at all. I cannot, for example, bring myself to entirely "deprive" my children of Christmas as they know it - we will be hanging stockings in Abuelita's house, and Santa will stuff those stockings. But I hope and expect that my kids will enjoy Christmas as it is practiced there. That they will experience the kind of joy in family and giving that we give lip service to up here.

Here are a few links to other posts about our trips to Oaxaca, both at Christmas and at other times.

New To Farm Life: Vacation Photos, With Explanations

New To Farm Life: Mexican Fireworks (Videos)

New To Farm Life: Home From the Land of my In-Laws

Chiles rellenos

The first time I met my future mother-in-law, my future husband wasn't there. I travelled alone to Oaxaca, Mexico, and stayed for a week in his mother's house. Yes, it was a little awkward. Especially when she asked me when we were getting married; the subject hadn't yet come up between us. Trying to think of things to talk about and maybe do together that didn't require lots of talking (my Spanish wasn't what it is now, ten years later), I asked her what kind of food she would make for her son if he were there. She gave me this recipe. Demonstrated it, actually. My husband says it kicks restaurant versions all to hell (well of course it does, it's his mama's recipe.) for 4 people: chiles: 4 large fresh poblano peppers 12 ounces queso fresco or monterrey jack 4 large eggs sauce: 6 to 8 roma tomatoes 2 jalapenos one smallish yellow onion 1 or 2 cloves garlic 2 allspice berries 1 clove large pinch cumin 2 cups chicken stock or canned broth salt and pepper method:  roast poblanos under the broiler, 3 inches from heat, turning frequently until blistered all over, about 8 minutes. Place in a paper bag, twist shut, and let cool. When cool, peel the peppers, make a small slit in the side and carefully remove the seeds and ribs. Don't worry if some remains. Stuff each pepper with a 2-3 ounce piece of cheese. Set aside. For sauce: in a large, dry skillet (If you don't have a comal, use cast iron) dry roast tomatoes and roughly chopped onions until blistered and blackened in spots. Add garlic, roughly chopped jalapenos, and spices. As soon as spices give off a roasted smell, scrape everything into a blender. Blend with chicken stock. Pour into a saucepan and keep warm, adding salt and pepper as desired.  Back to the chiles:  Heat 2 cups vegetable oil in a large skillet to deep-fat frying temperature, until a cube of bread browns nicely. separate the eggs. In a large bowl, beat the whites until soft peaks form. add the yolks and blend gently. Now, carefully take up a chile, slit side up, and pass it through the eggs mixture, coating it, and slide into hot oil. Use a spoon to flick oil over the chile and seal the seam. Fry about two minutes on each side, then place in a large baking dish (I use a lasagna pan.). Repeat with other chiles. Pour tomato sauce over the chiles and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Serve with white rice and fresh hot corn tortillas.