San Pancho Article
By: Elvia & Geno Lamphiear – January 2008
There was a GREAT POSADA CELEBRATION in the main street of San Pancho (from in front of entreamigos all theway to the beach) held on Thursday, December 20th, 2007! The party started at 5p.m. with the church pilgrims and singers starting at 5:45 p.m.
 This was one of those moments that entreamigos had hoped to have the entire community (mexican, foreign, young and...) in one place, at one time, celebrating the beauty of the holidays and the luckiness that we all feel to be living (or visiting) here. It was a huge success!! This was a festival, a celebration, a chance to learn more about entreamigos, an opportunity to participate in an important holiday tradition.... basically, an event in San Pancho that was not to have been missed!!
There was traditional holiday food, drinks, live music from several groups, entertainers, piñatas, games and more. This was a great event for all ages!!
There were the new entreamigos CALENDARS and T-SHIRTS for sale (great gifts!) and there was information shared about RECICLA SAN PANCHO, the recycling pilot program here in San Pancho .
People brought unwrapped toys and non-perishable food items for the Holiday Gift Baskets for needy families in our area.
One of the highlights of the evening was when all the children (along with quite a few adults) danced to the music of drums and other percussion instruments!! It was indeed a magical moment!!!
The Galeria de Nayar held several special exhibitions and stage shows as well as an amazing exhibition of beadwork.
MORE DETAILS ABOUT A POSADA....
What is a posada? In Mexico, one of the ways to celebrate Christmas is with a Posada. The Posada is a Catholic party which is held on any of the nine nights before Christmas, between the 16th and the 24th of December.
 What happens at a posada? It begins with a representation of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph's pilgrimage as they look for a place to spend the night and for the baby Jesus to be born. A boy and a girl are chosen to play these parts. The pilgrims (and the people invited to the party) go from house to house asking (by singing) to be let in. Some go inside the house and others stay outside to answer the song. At the first three houses they are turned away - but at the last house they are allowed in. There is a specific song sang by those inside and outside when the pilgrims are finally allowed to enter the house. After the pilgrims are allowed in, ponche (a traditional fruit drink) and food is served, pinatas are broken and there is a grand celebration!
Why would entreamigos host a posada?
entreamigos has no religous affiliation but we feel strongly that one of our roles is to support community traditions and customs. The posada celebration is a 400 year tradition that is quickly disappearing. Many local residents have lamented the decline of the importance of the posada in exchange for more modern "western" notions of Christmas trees and gift giving. Since at the core, the posada is a celebration of life, entreamigos happily embraced the opportunity to have hosted the event!
For more information about entreamigos and how you may help this wonderful group in their amazing work with the children of San Pancho, please contact Nicole Swedlow at: nrswedlow@gmail.com
Phone: 01 (311) 258-4377
Cell: 045 (322) 117-1677
From the states, please dial:
Phone: 011 52 (311) 258-4377
Cell: 011 52 (322) 117-1677
Happy New Year!!
Elvia & Geno
E-mail: genolamphiear@hotmail.com
* This information is provided by María Elvia Garcia Palomera & Geno Lamphiear, owners of Calandria Realty in San Francisco (San Pancho), Nayarit, Mexico
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