Las Posadas at the Pico Adobe Museum

For the 16th consecutive year, the
182-year-old landmark Andres Pico Adobe will set the stage for Las
Posadas, a traditional Mexican Christmas pageant that re-enacts Mary’s
and Joseph’s search for shelter in Bethlehem before the birth of Jesus.
Gates open for the bi-lingual re-enactment at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday,
December 3, 2016 in Andres Pico Adobe Park, 10940 Sepulveda Blvd.,
Mission Hills (across from the Post Office Annex at Brand Boulevard).
Sponsored by the San Fernando Valley Historical Society (SFVHS) in
cooperation with the City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks
Department, this community event is free and open to the general public.
Complimentary refreshments will be served. Rain date for the event will be Saturday, December 10.

Las Posadas features an angel-led procession lighted by candles and
luminarias that follows Mary and Joseph from door to door as they are
refused lodging for the night. With each refusal, a traditional song is
sung, and the couple wearily moves on to another inn seeking shelter.
Finally, they come to rest in a stable for farm animals where Jesus is
born and swaddled in a feeding trough, or manger. Afterward, there is a
celebration in the Adobe’s courtyard with hot chocolate, cider, pan
dulce (Mexican pastries) and a traditional piñata-breaking. A visit by
Santa Claus is usually in the works, if his sleigh and reindeer
cooperate, sources say.

This year, singing and musical
accompaniment will be performed in both English and Spanish by the
Franciscan Sisters of the Mother Gertrude Home for Senior Citizens in
San Fernando. Visitors may participate in the procession with
flashlights or battery-operated candles. Children are encouraged to
dress as shepherds or farm animals.

“The Adobe’s many entrances
and its graceful Early California architecture make it a perfect
setting for this most beautiful Christmas event,” said Ron Van Deest,
SFVHS president. “We invite all members of the community to come and
share an evening dedicated to the spirit of the holidays.”

This event is FREE and OPEN to the Public!

For additional information, please contact the San Fernando Valley Historical Society at 818-365-7810, or visit our website at www.sfvhs.com. ■

Our address is 10940 Sepulveda Blvd., Mission Hills, CA 91345