Monday, December 14, 2015

Dec. 6: DIVERSE HOLIDAYS IN NUEVO MEXICO

LAS CRUCES – The spicy aroma of piñon fires. Bright red ristras on front doors and in kitchens. The colorful swirling skirts of folklorico dancers and the bright notes of mariachis. Massed choirs singing  “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s “Messiah,”and little kids forming an impromptu neighborhood caroling group. Lightings of Christmas trees and a giant Chanukah menorah on an picturesque adobe plaza.
And luminarias, thousands of candles, nestled in beds of desert sand in little brown bags, flickering on plazas and in villages and university campuses and lining driveways.
One of my relatives recently asked me what it’s like to spend Christmas and December holidays in New Mexico. I told her to get comfortable: This’ll take a while.
There’s a lot more than I can cover in a single column, but this busy weekend is just the start of some of our favorite things about December celebrations in New Mexico.
Three cultures blend at Our Lady of Guadalupe Festival at Tortugas Pueblo, with sacred ceremonies, dancing and a pilgrimage up Tortugas Mountain. Read more about the festival, always held Dec. 10, 11 and 12, in today’s SunLife section.
Some years, we’ve been able to see Joseph and Mary and a donkey on loan from the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum, looking for shelter on what was once the Las Cruces Downtown Mall, all part of La Posada, an ancient re-enactment as old as the first Spanish colonies here.
Newcomers may confuse it with Los Pastores, an equally ancient morality play featuring intense, creatively costumed and sometimes humorous clashes between good and evil. (Spoiler alert: good always triumphs.) Generations of the same regional families have kept the tradition alive in annual presentations by Los Pastores del Valle de Mesilla. Good news: you can still catch it this year. Performances will be at 7 p.m. Thursday Dec. 10 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday Dec. 12 at the Basilica of San Albino on the Mesilla Plaza. Admission is free.
And by the by, if you have a chance to see any of our holiday pageantry, big or small, make it a priority.
On the big side, there is the annual Living Christmas Tree, featuring a large choir and orchestra, plus 65,000 computer-controlled lights coordinated with a program of traditional and contemporary Christmas carols, this year at 1 and 7 p.m. Dec. 12, and 7 p.m. Dec. 13, 14 and 15, at First Baptist Church, 106 S. Miranda St. It’s $5 and thousands attend. For tickets, call 575-524-3691.
And don’t miss the lighted nine-foot menorah on the Mesilla Plaza. Chabad Jewish Center de Las Cruces is sponsoring the free event with a grand concert and menorah lighting at 5 p.m. today, to celebrate the Dec. 6 first night of Chanukah. Rogers Park Band, an award-winning Hassidic folk/pop duo from Chicago will perform and there will be hot cocoa, gelt, hot latkes, jelly donuts and candles. It’s part of a world-wide celebration. Check out JewishLC.com for more information.
“The menorah serves as a symbol of Las Cruces’ dedication to preserve and encourage the right and liberty of all its citizens to worship God freely, openly, and with pride,” said Chabad Rabbi Bery Schmukler.  
For a sampling of Christmas traditions, Bellas Artes Sin Fronteras, a brand new nonprofit cultural organization, will present “Feliz Navidad: Christmas in Song and Dance” at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 12 and 2 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Rio Grande, with mariachis, folklorico dance, Los Pastores and La Posada, piñatas for kids, and traditional food treats. For tickets, at $30, visit riograndetheatre.com.
And back to those luminarias. There will be about 6,000 of them on the NMSU campus for Noche de Luminarias from 6 to 9 p.m. today Dec. 6, along a horse-drawn trolley ride, crafts for kids and adults, photo booths and entertainment at Corbett Center. Corbett’s Aggie Underground is also the site of a brand new feature, an ice rink which will continue from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday. Skates will be available and it’s all free.
Among other luminaria displays, all on Dec. 12, are Fort Selden’s annual luminaria tour, from 5 to 9 p.m., with military re-enactors, cocoa and cookies; Las Esperanzas’ Christmas on Mesquite Street Winterfest from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Klein Park, featuring a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus, hay rides, piñatas, hot dogs and lots of fun for kids; and Elephant Butte Lake State Park’s annual Luminaria Beachwalk from 5 to 8 p.m.
Finally, caroling and luminarias on the Mesilla Plaza (beginning at 6 p.m. Dec. 24) is a Christmas Eve tradition for many. Happy holidays!
S. Derrickson Moore may be reached at dmoore@lcsun-news.com, @derricksonmoore on Twitter and Tout, or call 575-541-5450.


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