How to Host a Posada

Hosting a posada means opening your home for one of the nine nights between December 16 and 24: a short procession, the song to ask for lodging, a prayer if your family keeps it, then ponche, tamales and the piñata. This guide walks through each part, how long it takes, and what to tell guests in the invitation.

When you are ready to invite people, our posada invitations page has video templates made for posadas, with papel picado, star piñatas and ponche.

Featured TwistInvite DesignsPosada InvitationsPick a posada video design, add your date, address and a photo or song, and share one link guests RSVP to in their browser.

What a Posada Is

Las Posadas recall Mary and Joseph’s search for a place to stay in Bethlehem. They are celebrated in Mexico and by Mexican families in the US on the nine nights before Christmas, December 16 to 24, which many families tie to the nine months of Mary’s pregnancy. The custom goes back to the 16th century, when friars at Acolman, near Mexico City, used it to teach the Christmas story.

Traditionally a different family hosts each night. Today a posada can also be one party on a weekend in mid-December, a street posada shared by neighbors, a school posada, or the office posada.

The Order of the Night

1. Gathering (about 30 minutes). Guests arrive and get candles. Hand out the song sheets for the litany.
2. The procession. Guests walk behind two people dressed as Mary and Joseph, or carrying their figures (los peregrinos), sometimes with children dressed as angels and shepherds.
3. Pedir posada. The group splits: the “pilgrims” stay outside and sing verses asking for lodging, and the hosts answer from inside, refusing at first. On the last verse the doors open and everyone sings “Entren, santos peregrinos.”
4. Prayer. Many families pray the rosary or a short prayer in front of the nativity scene. Others skip it.
5. Food and ponche. Hot ponche, tamales, buñuelos or whatever your family serves.
6. The piñata. Children first, then adults, blindfolded, while everyone sings “Dale, dale, dale.”
7. Aguinaldos. Small bags of candy, fruit and peanuts for each guest, or each child, on the way out.

From the procession to the piñata, plan on two to three hours. A kids’ posada can be done in about two hours; see our kids posada invitations guide.

How to Organize Pedir Posada

• Print the verses. Most guests know the chorus but not every verse. One sheet per family is enough.
• Pick who sings outside and inside. Usually the hosts and a few relatives stay in; the rest walk with the pilgrims.
• Candles. Small candles with a paper collar to catch wax, or battery candles for kids. Sparklers (luces de bengala) are common, but keep them outdoors and away from little ones.
• Music. A guitar helps everyone keep the tune. If nobody plays, a speaker with the litany works.

The Piñata

The classic posada piñata is a star with seven points, often explained as the seven deadly sins; breaking it blindfolded stands for faith beating temptation, and the candy is the reward. Fill it with wrapped candy, small fruit such as tangerines and tejocotes, peanuts and sugarcane pieces. Hang it from a rope two people can raise and lower, and give the smallest children the first turns.

What to Serve

Ponche navideño is the one non-negotiable: fruit simmered with piloncillo and cinnamon, served hot. Tamales, buñuelos, atole or champurrado are the usual company. Our posada food and drink ideas guide has quantities and a menu by budget.

What to Put on the Invitation

• The date and start time, and whether the procession starts at your door or at another house.
• The address, plus parking or which gate to use.
• What to bring, if anything: candles, a dish, candy for the piñata.
• Whether kids are welcome and if there will be a separate pot of ponche without alcohol.
• An RSVP date, so you know how many tamales and aguinaldos to prepare.

For ready-to-copy text, see posada invitation wording. For a timeline, use the posada planning checklist.

How to Send a Posada Video Invitation

1. Pick a posada template in TwistInvite.
2. Add the details and your own media: a photo of last year’s piñata, the family nativity, or a recording of the litany.
3. Share one link by WhatsApp or SMS, or paste it into the family group chat.
4. Count guests. They open it in their browser and answer Going, Can’t make it or Maybe without downloading anything or creating an account. You see the replies in the app.

Open the posada templates in TwistInvite.

Frequently Asked Questions

When are posadas held?

On the nine nights from December 16 to December 24. Many families and offices hold one posada on a weekend in that window instead of all nine.

Do you have to be religious to host a posada?

No. The procession and prayer are religious, and many families keep them, but plenty of posadas, especially at work or school, focus on the songs, the piñata and the food.

How long does a posada last?

Plan on two to three hours from the procession to the piñata. Adults often stay longer for food and music.

What do guests bring to a posada?

Usually candles, and sometimes a dish or a bag of candy for the piñata. Say it on the invitation so nobody has to guess.