It's only nine days till Christmas, so for today, the classic, Caldecott Medal-winning Nine Days to Christmas by Marie Hall Ets, illustrated by Aurora LaBastida. They seem to be asking an amazingly high price for a children's paperback, but the Caldecott award means that you'll probably be able to find it in your local library. It's the story of a young girl in Mexico looking forward to her first pinata party for Las Posadas. Las Posadas is a Mexican custom, where people go from house to house singing a traditional song, enacting Mary and Joseph's search for lodging. Every house rejects them until the last, where they are welcomed and there is a party.
There are two songs especially associated with this custom. The first is Pedir Posada (Seeking Lodging) and the second La
Pinata, about the pinata (Blogger won't let me make a tilde). Both can be found on a CD called Navidad en Mexico. Here's a video of some children singing Pedir Posada:
