In Mexico and many parts of Central America, people celebrate La Posada during the nine days before Christmas. It is a traditional Mexican festival which re-enacts Mary's and Joseph's difficult journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of shelter.

La Posada is celebrated by groups of friends and neighbours visiting a different houses each night. Every night from 16th - 24, they form a procession behind two people holding statues of Mary, Joseph, and an angel. Carrying candles and singing litanies (prayers), they make their way to a chosen house where they knock and ask for lodgings.

This is done via a special Posada song. The people standing outside the house sing the part of Joseph asking for shelter whilst the family inside responds sing the part of the innkeeper saying that there is no room. The song switches back and forth a few times until finally the innkeeper decides to let them in. The door is opened and everyone goes inside for a hot spicy drink.

The poinsettia plant is native to Mexico.

The Christmas connection to poinsettias comes from a Mexican legend which tells of a poor girl who dreams of bringing a beautiful gift to please the Virgin Mary at a Christmas Eve service, yet has nothing worthy.

On the way to Church, she meets an angel who tells her to pick some weeds. She kneels by the roadside and, despite her protests that they are far from desirable, gathers a handful of weeds and makes her way to a small chapel where she places her offering on the altar.

The moment she does, the weeds burst into blooms of brilliant red poinsettias and her sorrow turns to joy.

The Mexicans named the new plant 'Flor de Nochebuena' (Christmas Eve Flower).

Did you Know?
Poinsettia Day is today, 12th December. It was declared in honour of the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett, whom the plant is named after.

Find out more about the Poinsettia

In Mexico, the main Christmas meal is eaten on Christmas Eve evening.

What is eaten for the Christmas meal various from region to region.

The most popular dishes are stews (pozole), made of pork or beef and hominy in red chile sauce and spicy soup (menudo) made with beef tripe and hominy also in chile sauce.

In the center of Mexico, bacalao (codfish) and romeritos (a herb) prepared with mole (a spicy chocolate sauce) are popular dishes.

In the north of Mexico the most traditional Christmas dish is tamales (corn bread filled with meats in a sauce or raisins wrapped in corn husks) served with sauce over them.

For dessert, atole (a thinned hot chocolate pudding) with buñuelos (deep fried sweet dough).

A more traditional dessert is colación, a mixture of candies in syrup.

Father Christmas does not give presents to the children. Instead the Three Wise Men give presents to the childeten on Dia de los Reyes (Three Kings Day) on 6 January.