Away in a manger,
no crib for His head,
the little Lord Jesus
lay down His sweet head.
The stars in the sky
looked down where He lay.
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
A reminder from our parish priest:
It is still the Christmas season
and will continue to be until next Sunday.
linking to
the inimitable Rebecca
via
continued Christmas greetings to you and yours
ReplyDeleteFor those who believe, Christmas never ends! ;)
ReplyDeleteKirov in the Cup
dearest nonnie,
ReplyDeletedid you know that in mexico baby jesus does not appear in any mangers until christmas eve? and that every ones mangers remain displayed until Candelaria is celebrated on the 40th day after Christmas (February 2nd)? This religious celebration marks the end of the Christmas festivities observing the birth of Christ. Candelaria commemorates the day when Christ was presented in the temple by his parents.
Mexican families celebrate by "raising" the Christ Child figure from the nativity scene. The Christ figures and icons are also brought to the church to be blessed. Finally the nativity set is put away until the beginning of the next season’s Christmas celebrations.
Some cultures marked this day as the beginning of the new year, and traditionally brought their seed for the coming year's planting. Also candles are also brought to the church – from this tradition comes the name "Candelaria" from the Spanish word for candle "candela".
Also in our parish, the Christ Child is not placed in the crib until the Vigil Mass of Christmas. A child carries Jesus in the procession and places Him in the crib. Also the Christmas season lasts till the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, which this year lasts till Jan. 12. So it seems some of the Mexican traditions have drifted north, or perhaps the opposite. I know not which it is.
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