Mary and Joseph finally found a safe haven to give birth to baby Jesus at El Centro Chicano on Saturday, Dec. 3, after stopping at Ujamaa, Muwekma-Tah-Ruk, Okada and Casa Zapata earlier in the evening. The procession was part of El Centro Chicano’s annual Posadas celebration, which culminated in a party at the ballroom in the Old Union.

Posadas is a Mexican tradition that commemorates the journey Mary and Joseph took in search of shelter before the birth of Jesus. Annual Posadas celebrations have been observed at Stanford for about 16 years and are currently one of the main annual events organized by El Centro Chicano.

The celebration began at Old Union, where students congregated and dressed as shepherds, dancers, Mary and Joseph. The procession then traveled to the ethnic theme dorms on campus, ending up at Old Union again. The participants carried candles and sang carols along the way. At each house, the wanderers sang a song asking if there was room for Mary and Joseph to stay, and the dorm members sang back, saying there was not, until the procession reached El Centro Chicano, where they were finally granted permission to stay.

According to senior Rocio Cardenas, a program coordinator at El Centro Chicano who helped organize the event, “participation is open to everyone,” and the crowd was representative of the whole Stanford community and the larger Bay Area.

Julie Nicholson, a Bay Area resident, participated for the first time this year, having wanted to since she adopted her two youngest daughters from Guatemala a couple of years ago. She is part of a community of Bay Area families who have adopted children from Guatemala and said the group tries to get together and connect for cultural events. Nicholson said she and her daughters “plan to come again” and “this is the beginning of a tradition.”

Joseph was played by David Miller, a freshman living in Casa Zapata. He said they talked about the Posadas tradition in the dorm and also practiced the traditional songs to prepare for the event.

After the procession, there was a party with Salvadorian food, a skit about the birth of Jesus — a Pastorele — and performances by the Ballet Folklorico de Stanford and a Puerto Rican Band. Director of El Centro Chicano Frances Morales said that the Posadas celebrations are “one of the signature cultural events that people remember” and pointed out the numerous alumni and their children attending the celebrations.

Sophomores Brenda Barajas and Eutimia Montoya danced throughout the procession, performing a traditional Mexica dance — Mexica is the name of the Aztecs who lived in Mexico before the Spanish conquered the area.

Barajas said the celebration here is different from those she participated in back home in Anaheim, Calif.

“Generally you go to nine houses, each one representing either nine months of pregnancy or the nine days it took to journey from Bethlehem to Nazareth to have Jesus,” she said. “Usually Posadas last for nine days.”

Barajas explained that the Posadas tradition differs, depending on the community.

“Here it’s different because it’s a bunch of students. A lot of us are first-generation or second-generation, so it’s not exactly how you do it in Mexico,” she said. “And I think even regionally it differs in Mexico. The essence of it is still the same.”

Sophomore Nydia Cardenas, who sat on the planning committee for her second year, said she thinks the celebration is “really important,” adding that she participates in Posadas in Mexico with her family when she goes back each Christmas.

“I feel like a lot of times people who move to the U.S. don’t have the same opportunity to hold the tradition, so it’s really nice to see the families come out with their kids and be able to enjoy a tradition they did when they were younger,” she said.

Morales said the celebration hasn’t changed significantly in her 16 years as director of El Centro Chicano, but that it is changing slightly in response to the increasing diversity in the Latino community, noting the Salvadorian food and Puerto Rican band.

“Posadas is very much a community affair for the Stanford community and the outside community,” Morales said.