Special Programs - Christmas and New Year Spanish Language & Culture Program
From December 7th to December 31st, 2009

December is an ideal time to visit Mexico and observe how the winter holiday season is celebrated!

During December, from the 6th to the 31st, the Institute offers a specialized Christmas program. Similar to the regular program, classes are held from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM and after the lunch hour different workshops are offered in the afternoon from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM.

On December 16th Mexico begins a nine-day celebration known as "Las Posadas", an important tradition for many Catholic Mexicans. This celebration reenacts the trials which Mary and Joseph endured before finding a place for Jesus to be born. Families take turns holding the Posada in their home while the remaining adults and children act as pilgrims, walking from house to house carrying candles and singing, looking for somewhere to stay. At each house, the resident rejects the pilgrims through song. The weary pilgrims continue from house to house until they reach the pre-designated place where the Posada is being held, where Mary and Joseph are finally recognized and allowed to enter. And the celebration begins!

El Instituto Cultural Oaxaca will host a Posada on December 18th where students, intercambios, homestay families and friends of the ICO are invited to sing songs, drink punch and break the piñatas created by students earlier that week in the piñata workshop.

Afternoon workshops offered during this time are centered around the Posada...

Christmas & Piñata Making Workshop: During this workshop students learn the history of the piñatas, and build and design their own, which will later be broken at the Posada. Apart from designing and creating piñatas students at this workshop help set up the nativity scene in the ICO.

Cooking Workshop: This class differs from the normal cooking class offered at the Instituto because students will learn to make traditional dishes that are specific to the winter holiday. Dishes typical to this holiday are Romeritos and Fruit Punch.

Among other fun things to experience in Oaxaca in December is "La noche de los Rabanos" or "Night of the Radishes", a collection of altars around the Zocalo representing the traditions of Oaxaca and nativity scenes created with a fascinating range of vegetables including radishes of different sizes.

Here at the Institute, we have one of the largest and best nativity scenes in the City of Oaxaca. We invite you to learn Spanish in Oaxaca and enjoy our traditional Christmas celebration with all of those involved with the Instituto Cultural Oaxaca.