Sights & sounds of la Navidad

Merry Christmas from the middle of Avenida Paseo de la Refroma, which is ironic for reasons below

Church and State are legally separated in Mexico. When that happened during the Reforma period after the revolution, it resulted in repression of the Church and the resulting Cristero war. In the end, the government seized all Church property. Which means that in a land where Church and State are legally separated, the government owns and maintains all Church properties! And Christmas shows up all over the place, from official squares to nativity scenes to toll booths (festooned with garland and “Feliz Navidad” written on the windows).

The Zócalo during the late afternoon, Christmas eve
Later in the evening…
The Zócalo after Christmas eve mass at the Cathedral
Christmas tree next to the monument to the Mexican Revolution

Feliz Navidad remains a common greeting, although a few “feliz fiestas” or “happy holidays” have crept into Méxican culture. Since “feliz fiestas” sounds so weird (are there any unhappy fiestas?) it may not catch on.

Mexico has a tortured history of religious involvement in political affairs. For a long time, all citizens had to be Catholic. The call for independence came under a banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Still, México seems to have come to terms with a way to be officially secular without renouncing the essence of religious belief, which is after all communal and “other” facing.

The Cardinal Archbishop of Mexico City presiding at the Christmas eve vigil mass

¡Feliz Navidad a todos!