Six years ago I was looking through the Sundance catalog and saw a Christmas tree filled with milagros. Milagros are small metal charms are used throughout Latin America to symbolize prayers. They are pinned to crosses, statues of religious figures, and altars to petition for help and protection. They can also represent thanks for an answered prayer. Some people carry milagros with them for good luck, healing, or protection. I love Christmas customs from other countries/cultures so with a point and a click this tree was on its way to my home to become part of my Christmas traditions.
The tree has now become a little more special because my son-in-law's heritage is Latin American. My mom gave the little nativity scene to me many years ago and it now sits in front of the milagros tree because it's "Hecho en Mexico" (made in Mexico). Poinsettias are native to Mexico and are known there as la flor de la Nochebuena, the Flower of the Holy Night.
Couldn't resist taking a pic of the shadows.
When my children were little, one of our Christmas traditions was to read a Christmas book every night starting December 1 and ending on Christmas night. I wrapped each book in holiday paper and each night one of the kids chose a book, unwrapped it, and I read it to them. One of my favorite stories was The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola. He was a wonderful storyteller and artist.
This story is a Mexican legend of the poinsettia about a little girl who offers weeds to the Christ Child as her gift for Christmas. The towns people were aghast at this gift but after everyone went outside after mass, all the clumps of green weeds were shining with red stars. ¡Es un milagro navideño! (It's a Christmas miracle!)
Merry Christmas Eve to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteYou've created a beautiful Christmas scene here. A very Merry Christmas to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteWhen we lived in Mexico for a few years I became familiar with "Nochebuenas" and was amazed to see them growing in the ground. (I always thought they came from the grocery store at Christmas! 😉) But the name has stuck with me and now I can never remember "poinsettia" and always have to ask my wife what a nochebuena plant is called. Also I was wondering if you knew that "milagro" translates to "miracle". But then your last line from the Christmas book solved that for me.
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