Christmas Tamales and other great Tucson holiday traditions

(photo by baldtechnologist, flickr.com) I'm not Mexican, but every year my family gets to feast on delicious homemade tamales during the Christmas season. The food is a gift from an employee of my parents'. Every year we've gotten them, and they are always delicious. One of the great things about living in Tucson is participating in Mexican holiday traditions. Here are some Tucson holiday events with uniquely Mexican flavor:



One Tucson tradition, held for the last 30 years, is the El Nacimiento display at the Tucson Museum of Art. This display, created by Maria Luisa Tena, features hundreds of figurines arranged to tell stories from the Bible out of the Old and New Testaments, including an arrangement of the birth of Jesus. This display runs from November 10 - March 30.

If you are interested in finding unique Mexican Christmas decorations or nativity scenes to purchase, then the Feria Navidena (Christmas Market) is a great place to go. This market runs the whole month of December. Bring your children on the weekend to take pictures with "Pancho Claus." The market is run by El Centro Cultural de Las Americas. Call (520) 629-9536 for more details.

Of course, tamales are a great Mexican Christmas tradition, as I mentioned earlier. You can be a part of this tradition too at the Tucson Tamale & Heritage Festival on December 1st. In addition to great food, there will also be live entertainment and a tamale competition. The free event is from 10am-6pm.

The Southwestern Nutcracker isn't necessarily a "Mexican" tradition, but it is a uniquely Tucson tradition. The ballet runs from December 7-9, and brings the traditional Nutcracker to Tucson in the late 1800's, including coyotes and rattlesnakes!

To add to your holiday cultural experience, check out A Tucson Pastorela December 14-23 at the Leo Rich Theater. The performance is put on by Borderlands Theater, and tells the story of Jesus in a unique way. Ballet Folklorico Tapatio will be performing at the theater as well, on Sunday the 16th, and Sunday the 23rd. AND, every night there will be pinatas.

So decorate your Christmas cookies, and make your gingerbread houses, but don't forget to check out a few of these exciting events and maybe you can create some new holiday traditions.