CHRISTMAS POLYCHROMY AT CHAPALA LAKESIDE
Text and photographs by
Maria Di Paola Blum

Christmas holidays arrived. Streets are full of vendors of all kinds of poinsettias in metal or corn leaf or just natural. The Christmas trees from different countries are sold at a variety of prices and people rush to get them at every store. Everybody, religious or lay persons are present and make the best of the Christmas sales. But after all, we are celebrating Jesus Christ. Catholics pay him homage at the midnight Mass on December 24 as you already saw in the previous page as Father Arreola already inform us. Those belonging to Hare Krisna, celebrate this event with a vegetarian meal, as their representative in Guadalajara, Jagat-Caksur kindly informs us an he adds it is inappropriate to eat animal meat on that occasion because they were the ones who provided a warm welcome to the new born with their breath. They do not have yet an official meeting place in Chapala. The Anglicans commemorate first the Fourth Sunday of Advent and later on the Nativity, is what Father Michael Percival who will spend for the first time Christmas at the Chapala Ribera, coming from the state of Colorado. Things done in a hurry risk to make us loose the authentic meaning of Christmas, and make us transform it in mere commercial events The Anglican Church is located in San Lucas Street number 19, in Riberas del Pilar. The Church is decorated for Christmas a week before the event. Mass is celebrated at 7:00 pm Later on, they light a fire, sing songs and drink hot “ponche” , without staying until midnight because of the risks involved in driving late. The members of the Anglican Church have already seven cars full of toys to give them to the many children in the towns around the lake. The Baptist Church located across the road from the Anglican Church, in Riberas del Pilar, on Santa Margarita street 147, show already their decorated Christmas tree and beautiful decorations in every table. This year they are waiting for a new pastor from U.S.A because the previous one left two months ago. They will celebrate Christmas with a wonderful choir of American and Mexican children. They will have a function of 45 minutes Sunday 25, 11.45 a.m. don’t miss it! The Mormonas celebrate with a pantagruelian lunch the 25, they don’t have the tradition of the night of 24, inform Laura Pérez, observant mormona. The Witness of Jehová have their temple in the same area they don’t celebrate Christmas because they don’t believe in that, declare Mercedes Castillo Casillas resident of the Ribera and young observant, they – she continues – celebrate the the death of Jesus the 14 of April. Even the Jews don’t celebrate Christmas, their feast in December is called: Januca, says the Rabin Joshua Kullock of Guadalajara. So, at this point, to each of you your feast and Merry Christmas to the ones that enjoys to believe Jesus Christ.