Surely you remember, from a photo at your parents’ house, having gone out in a pastorela organized by your school. As a little devil, angel, shepherd, Joseph, Mary or the child God himself, we all participate in one and keep the memory as part of the Christmas festivities.
Although we are used to seeing them during the winter season, many of us do not know the origin of these performances that were part of the childhood of many.
We will tell you what the origin and meaning of the pastorelas are and how they came to Mexico to stay.
What is a pastorela?
The pastorelas are a religious tradition in which the fight between good and evil that the shepherds experienced while making their journey to meet the child god who had just been born in Bethlehem is staged.
The shepherds encounter the devil on their journey, who sets them up with a series of obstacles whose intention is to prevent them from reaching their destination, while an angel helps them not to fall into his trap.
The outcome of these works is always positive and the triumph of good over evil stands out with the arrival of the shepherds to meet the baby Jesus, according to Catholic tradition, but what is the origin of this tradition and how did it come to Mexico? ? Here we tell you.
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What is the origin of pastorelas?
According to the magazine Muy Interesante, it is known that the first pastorela was performed around the 13th century, promoted by Saint Francis of Assisi in the Middle Ages as scenic representations of the birth of Jesus.
When Catholicism spread throughout the West, pastorelas became a recurring practice in countries that followed the Christian religion, including Spain.
How did pastorelas arrive in Mexico?
At the time of the viceroyalty, the colonizers used the pastorelas as a form of religious indoctrination by the Spanish to the indigenous peoples.
For the religious orders that arrived in New Spain, theater, through plays called autos sacramentales in which biblical passages and narratives of the lives of the saints were staged, was an excellent way to evangelize; Later, it was made depicting the birth of Jesus.
In 1530, Fray Juan de Zumárraga allowed the celebration of the Farce of the Joyful Christmas of our Savior, becoming the first pastorela performed in Nahuatl, written in that dialect by Fray Andrés de Olmos.
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The pastorelas today
The pastorelas no longer have a purely evangelizing meaning and have become part of the folklore of the Christmas season, even in school festivals, as a symbol of the celebration of Christmas and in the religious environment as spiritual preparation, during Advent, to wait for the birth of Jesus.
Now that you know the origin of the pastorelas and how they arrived in Mexico, remember that, despite their evangelizing origin during the conquest, today they represent a moment of coexistence and recreation for children and adults to enjoy during the Christmas season.