Las Posadas 2011

RC Students enjoy tamales from Ocampos Market.

Last Friday, December 2nd, the Office of Community Engagement and Hispanic Outreach and Learning Assistance (HOLA) hosted the 4th Annual Las Posadas, a Latin American holiday tradition.   Hosted by a collaborative team of Ripon college and community members each year, Las Posadas is a great example of the Ripon community and college campus working together to successfully host a culturally rich event that benefits the whole community.

A communal reenactment of Mary and Joseph searching for a place for Jesus to be born, Las Posadas (which means The Lodgings) is a Latin American Christmas tradition. In Mexico and Guatemala, Las Posadas is a religious celebration that typically lasts for a two week period leading up to Christmas Eve. Each of the nights, a party is held at a home in the neighborhood where the community socializes over food and drink with candies and fruit for the children. The guests, which include Mary and Joseph (usually leading a donkey), travel to a home and sing outside, requesting shelter. After letting the guests in, the celebration begins. Here in Ripon, the overall celebration is more of a sharing of culture rather than having the religious focus it does in Mexico and has been condensed into one night instead of many. Both in Latin America and here in Ripon, Las Posadas is a highly anticipated event that brings the community together to celebrate cultural traditions. Starting by Campus Cinema last Friday night, singers and participants, including Joseph and Mary, the Wiseman, and Angels, walked up Watson Street and caroled at various businesses. Eventually arriving at the VFW Hall at 404 Ransom Street, the celebration of food, drink, piñatas, and drink began.

Area children enjoy the festivities of the
Las Posadas procession by carrying candles.

Dulce Andrade, a sophomore here at Ripon College, is the coordinator for HOLA, (Hispanic Outreach and Learning Assistance) a student led program housed in the Office of Community Engagement. Dulce and the members of HOLA, the primary organizer of Las Posadas, worked with the campus and community to make this 4th annual event a reality. She says of Las Posadas, “it’s about communities coming together and bringing people together . . . the focus is on the celebration and being exposed to something that is culturally relevant.”

In addition to HOLA, Hablamos, Ripon College Office of Community Engagement, Ripon College WRPN, the Ripon Public Library, and Ripon Neighbors also worked together to make this event possible; Holly and Ivy, Ocampo's restaurant, America, and the VFW were also involved in the success of this special evening of cultural celebration. Las Posadas provided an opportunity to engage the community in experiencing a cultural tradition and celebration while enjoying food, a piñata, music, catching up with old friends and making new connections.

Would you like to know more about HOLA or to get involved in planning for another community event? Visit the Office of Community Engagement on the second floor of Harwood Union, at www.ripon.edu/oce or by emailing oce@ripon.edu.

Ripon's Schultz-Klemp-Wentland VFW Post 5278 generously donated the use of their space 
for the Las Posadas celebration, which was open to the whole community.