On December 15th, 2012, members of YAYA visited the farm worker community of Fellsmere for their Posada celebration. As part of our ongoing relationship with Fellsmere and the FWAF (Farm Worker Association of Florida) office there, we were invited to join in the community celebration. We were asked if it would be in our ability to collect gift donations for the children of the community, and thanks to the generous donations of many supporters, we were able to bring 70 gifts with us to the celebration.
The Posada started with an introduction by Yolanda from FWAF about the importance of the event, and was followed by a prayer from a Fellsmere local. The food was a little behind schedule, so Nicole Godreau of YAYA led the children (and some YAYAs) in some games to pass the time. Before I was able to completely embarrass myself in a game of limbo, the food was ready, and YAYAs started to help distribute the first courses to all of the guests.
As we have come to expect of Fellsmere, the food was delicious. After everyone had eaten their fill, we split up into two groups to sing the traditional Mexican Posada song, “Pidiendo Posada.” This tradition involves one group standing outside, behind a closed door, to sing the first verse, followed by the group inside singing the second. This goes back and forth until the last verse, when the door is opened and everyone sings together. This is a culturally significant tradition, and I was very glad for the opportunity to experience it.
After singing Pidiendo Posada, the children were rallied up to participate in another important tradition of the breaking of the piñata. The community had two piñatas prepared, and every child was able to participate. I was somewhat jealous of my age excluding me from this event.
The breaking of the piñatas resulted in pockets full of candy, which typically goes hand in hand with smiling children, and so we were excited to start sharing the gifts we brought. There were thankfully enough gifts to go around. The process was a little chaotic and stressful trying to make sure everyone got a gift appropriate for their age and gender, but we were able to do a fairly decent job, and have discussed ways in which we may be able to streamline this process in the future.
All in all, it was another successful event hosted by the beautiful people of the Fellsmere FWAF office and the Fellsmere community. We were happy to be a part of it, and offer the help that we could. We were also happy to continue the development of our ongoing relationship with Fellsmere, and we look forward to future events!
Brian Luft
Orlando YAYA
Pictures courtesy of Melissa McGuire Maniau
