Nacimientos

Christmas season in Honduras somehow just doesn't seem like Christmas. Maybe it's the warm weather and lack of snow...

But there is one Christmas tradition in Honduras that is quite beautiful, and that I have really come to appreciate. While North American Christmas decorations tend towards elaborate Christmas trees, wreaths, and Santa Claus, Hondurans try to outdo each other with 'nacimientos'.

A 'nacimiento' is a Nativity scene. Some are elegant, some are simple, some are huge and others very small; but they are everywhere. Businesses from restaurants and retail stores to banks and offices have them. Both rich and poor people alike have them. Most are unabashedly on public display. Some are handmade, some are factory made, and some are real works of art. People go around and admire the biggest and grandest although I find the most humble to be the most elegant in their simplicity.

This is not to say that people don't have Christmas trees and lights, because they do. Most of these are all artificial and represent the imported American culture that so dominates Central America. But to me, 'naciemientos' represent an authenticity in the culture, one that does not shy away from recognizing the true meaning of Christmas. They represent an attachment to Christmas per se, instead of the brazen commercialism and secularism found in North America.

I believe Christmas in Honduras will grow on me...

Feliz Navidad!!