My yoga instructor, Juan (whom everyone refers to as 'maestro')had invited us to attend a pre-Posada celebration and Temazcal cleansing trip, which he does once a month. This man is a true testament to the pluralism of two cultures. His heritage is Aztec Indian, and he practices worshiping this while including the Christian influence which could be seen during our pre-Posada activities.
The Temazcal was located at a small farm in a quaint mountain village called La Rosa. It was great being in the fresh air with animals everywhere...mostly poultry types like turkeys, chickens, rabbits and a parrot.
Our maestro went through each step carefully, beginning with sending thanks to the gods of the Sun, Moon, and Earth. We were each blessed before we went into the igloo in a beautiful event filled with all the ritual steps, which I'm sure are centuries old.
He speaks the native Indian language of Nahtual, as well as Spanish during his entire presentation. I can't begin to go through the complete process that took place inside and out of the Temazcal but suffice it to say it was overwhelming and we were inside for 3 hours!
This is the type of experience that you just must do to fully understand it's importance spiritually and physically. Maestro explained to us that the idea of the cleansing is being more accepted as a form of alternative medicine and there are two located at hospitals in Mexico including Chiapas.
After the cleansing ritual and a cold shower we were treated to enchiladas with homemade mole, a sauce that is a unique blend of chiles. The family that owned the farm and operated the Temazcal also served the dinners.
Next, we had our pre-Posada celebration. This is a Christian ritual, officially starting 26 December, imitating the night Mary and Joseph went in search of a place to stay for the birth of baby Jesus. Candles are held and there are certain songs that are sung to ask for entrance into a home and then the response from the home denying them entrance. Everyone seemed to know the songs from young to old people that were there. I was the only novice. So I settled for taking photos, which was hard because it was by now dark.
Finally, we broke the huge, colorful piñata with the maestro explaining that the hits represented the problems or sins we had committed and when it broke and the fruit and peanuts were released it represented your rewards for giving up sins. No candy was involved with our piñata. The night ended with drinking the 'ponche' or hot fruit drink made from fruit that many had brought including sugar cane, apples and guayaba. It really hit the spot as we stood around the bond fire and shared stories about our experiences in the Temazcal and life in general in Mexico and the U.S. I was the only American.... hopefully, I represented us well. This is an experience I hope to repeat many times during my stay here ... without the pre-Posada experience of course.
