Chicano Christmas Cultural Customs
With guests Carmen Tafolla and Raquel Perez, host Linda Fregoso explores Chicano Christmas traditions that have fused both Anglo and Mexican practices. Fregoso first explores the tamaladas, or tamale-making parties, that occur at Christmastime. Tafolla explains that Chicanos gather together to make tamales, a food that dates to Pre-Columbian times, and talks about the ways people vary the recipe to suit their financial situations. Perez then describes how her family gathers for the occasion. She explains that tamaladas also serve to pass on Chicano traditions to children and discusses their participation in the festivities.
Fregoso then turns to explore Chicano Christmas music and poetry. Carmen Tafolla reads “Contrabando y Tamales,” her parody of the popular corrido “Contrabando y Traicion.” Fregoso and Tafolla then discuss Chicano bilingual adaptations of famous Christmas carols and stories, like “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer” and “'Twas the Night Before Christmas,” and Fregoso plays several examples.
For Chicanos, the Christmas holidays culminate with the New Year’s celebration and the making of buñuelos [holiday pastries], another Chicano holiday tradition.
KEYWORDS
'Twas the Night before ChristmasAdaptation
Bicultural
Bilingual
Bilingual Music
Bilingual Poetry
Carmen Tafolla
Children
Christmas
Contrabando y Tamales
Contrabando y Traicion
Corridos
Cultural Continuity
Culture
Family
Family Stories
Family Traditions
Folklore
Food
Humor
Jesus Christ
Jokes
Music
New Years
Parodies
Parties
Poetry
Popular Culture
Raquel Perez
Rodolfo el Venado Narizon
Rosa Linda Fregoso
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is Coming Soon
Songs
Tamalada
Tamales
Tradition