🎄 The Inns Celebration - Las Posadas
Beginner Spanish · Las Posadas
Las Posadas in Spanish
Las Posadas is a Christmas tradition observed in Mexico and some other Latin American communities. This lesson focuses on useful language for processions, songs, family gatherings, food, piñatas, and the traditional expression pedir posada.
Your next small win: explain what Las Posadas is, use pedir posada, talk about a procession and family gathering, and ask simple questions about local Posadas traditions.
Start with the celebration
Core Las Posadas Vocabulary
These words help you recognize the main people, objects, and activities connected with Las Posadas.
Las Posadas
Lodging / shelter
Candle
Christmas carol
Prayer
Family
Name four Posadas words
Say “lodging, candle, Christmas carol, and family” in Spanish.
Posada, vela, villancico y familia.
More Las Posadas vocabulary
Procession / pilgrimage
Piñata
Celebration
Mary
Joseph
Learn the key expression
Pedir Posada and the Procession
Pedir posada is the traditional expression for asking for lodging or shelter during Las Posadas.
To ask for lodging
We ask for lodging.
We are going to ask for lodging.
We sing Christmas carols during the procession.
The neighbors participate in the procession.
Mary and Joseph look for lodging.
Useful pattern: vamos a + infinitive expresses a plan. For example, Vamos a pedir posada.
Talk about the procession
Say that you are going to ask for lodging and that you sing Christmas carols during the procession.
Vamos a pedir posada.
Cantamos villancicos durante la peregrinación.
Gather with family and friends
Food, Piñatas, and Family
After the procession, some celebrations include family gatherings, food, drinks, sweets, and a piñata.
The family gathers every night.
We celebrate Las Posadas with family.
Afterward we share tamales and fruit punch.
The piñata is full of candy.
The children break the piñata.
The children receive treat bags with candy.
Useful verb: reunirse means “to gather” or “to get together.” With la familia, say la familia se reúne.
Preparing for Las Posadas
Are you going to celebrate Las Posadas this year?
Yes. My family participates every year.
Are you going to sing Christmas carols?
Yes, and afterward we share tamales and fruit punch.
Describe the gathering
Say that your family gathers every night, shares tamales and ponche, and has a piñata full of candy.
La familia se reúne cada noche.
Compartimos tamales y ponche.
La piñata está llena de dulces.
More Christmas vocabulary
Tamales
Fruit punch
Candy / sweets
Treat bag in this context
Christmas Eve
Christmas
Context matters: aguinaldo can have other meanings in Spanish-speaking countries. In this lesson it refers to a small package or bag of sweets connected with some Posadas traditions.
Ask about local traditions
Useful Las Posadas Questions
These questions help you learn how Las Posadas is celebrated in a particular family or community.
Do people celebrate Las Posadas here?
What time does the procession begin?
Is there a piñata for the children?
What traditional food are they going to serve?
Are they going to sing Christmas carols?
Are you going to celebrate Las Posadas this year?
Date phrase: Las Posadas se celebran del 16 al 24 de diciembre means “Las Posadas are celebrated from December 16 through December 24.”
Ask about the celebration
Ask whether people celebrate Las Posadas here, what time the procession begins, and what traditional food they are going to serve.
¿Celebran Las Posadas aquí?
¿A qué hora empieza la peregrinación?
¿Qué comida tradicional van a servir?
Cultural context
Las Posadas is traditionally celebrated from December 16 through December 24. The tradition commemorates Mary and Joseph's search for lodging before the birth of Jesus.
Some communities hold candlelit processions and sing traditional songs while symbolically asking for shelter. Families and friends may then gather for food, a piñata, prayer, music, and other Christmas traditions.
Variation matters: customs differ by region, community, and family. Not every Posadas celebration includes the same foods or activities.
Lesson boundary: this lesson focuses specifically on Las Posadas vocabulary and traditions. General Christmas plans and greetings belong in the Holidays lesson, while broader faith vocabulary belongs in the Religion and Faith lesson.
Your turn · 8 quick questions
Practice: Las Posadas
Choose the answer that best fits each situation. Focus on pedir posada, processions, family gatherings, villancicos, food, and piñatas.
Practice complete
You can talk about Las Posadas in Spanish.
A few Las Posadas phrases to revisit
One last step: describe Las Posadas without choices.
Say what your family does during Las Posadas, mention the procession and villancicos, name one food or drink, and ask what time the procession begins.
Celebramos Las Posadas en familia.
Cantamos villancicos durante la peregrinación.
Después compartimos tamales y ponche.
¿A qué hora empieza la peregrinación?
Which expression means “to ask for lodging” in the Las Posadas tradition?
- pedir posada
- celebrar posada
- compartir posada
- cantar posada
Pedir posada is the traditional expression for asking for lodging or shelter.
pedir posada
You want to say “We are going to ask for lodging.” Which sentence fits?
- Vamos a pedir posada.
- Vamos a cantar posada.
- Vamos a reunir posada.
- Vamos a compartir posada.
Vamos a + infinitive expresses a plan, and pedir posada is the traditional expression.
Vamos a pedir posada.
You want to say that you sing Christmas carols during the procession. Which sentence fits?
- Cantamos villancicos durante la peregrinación.
- Cantamos oraciones durante la peregrinación.
- Compartimos villancicos durante la peregrinación.
- Pedimos villancicos durante la peregrinación.
Villancicos are Christmas carols, and durante means “during.”
Cantamos villancicos durante la peregrinación.
Your family gathers every night. What do you say?
- La familia se reúne cada noche.
- La familia se celebra cada noche.
- La familia se comparte cada noche.
- La familia se canta cada noche.
Reunirse means “to gather” or “to get together.”
La familia se reúne cada noche.
The piñata is full of candy. Which sentence fits?
- La piñata está llena de dulces.
- La piñata es llena de dulces.
- La piñata está llena para dulces.
- La piñata tiene llena de dulces.
Estar lleno or llena de means “to be full of.” Piñata is feminine, so the form is llena.
La piñata está llena de dulces.
You want to ask whether Las Posadas is celebrated here. What do you ask?
- ¿Celebran Las Posadas aquí?
- ¿Piden Las Posadas aquí?
- ¿Comparten Las Posadas aquí?
- ¿Cantan Las Posadas aquí?
Celebrar is the verb used here for celebrating a holiday or tradition.
¿Celebran Las Posadas aquí?
You want to ask what time the procession begins. What do you ask?
- ¿A qué hora empieza la peregrinación?
- ¿Dónde termina la peregrinación?
- ¿Qué comida hay en la peregrinación?
- ¿Quién celebra la peregrinación?
¿A qué hora empieza...? asks for a specific start time.
¿A qué hora empieza la peregrinación?
Which sentence gives the traditional December date range from the lesson?
- Las Posadas se celebran del 16 al 24 de diciembre.
- Las Posadas se celebran del 1 al 9 de diciembre.
- Las Posadas se celebran del 24 al 31 de diciembre.
- Las Posadas se celebran durante todo diciembre.
Del 16 al 24 de diciembre means “from December 16 through December 24.”
Las Posadas se celebran del 16 al 24 de diciembre.