Spanish Students Experience Mexican Christmas Tradition Firsthand
When Associate Professor of Spanish Dr. Alma Ramírez-Trujillo was young, her mother taught her and her siblings how to make piñatas. Now, Ramírez-Trujillo has adapted this tradition for students in her SPAN-345: Civilization and Cultures of Latin America course.
In Mexico, because of cultural hybridity resulting from colonization, piñatas with seven pointed ends—with each point representing one of the seven deadly sins—are traditionally made for Christmas. Striking and breaking these piñatas symbolizes overcoming these sins before celebrating Jesus’ birth. The individual tasked with breaking the piñata is blindfolded, symbolizing faith. Meanwhile, those surrounding the blindfolded participant sing and shout, creating a sense of disorientation. This confusion serves as a metaphor for the disorientation caused by temptation. Today, however, the breaking of piñatas has extended far beyond this tradition.
“In my class, we focus on negative emotions or experiences that have impacted us this year. By striking the piñata, we symbolically release these feelings and express hope for improved experiences and more positive emotions in the coming year,” Ramírez-Trujillo says.
Before Thanksgiving, students made their piñatas out of balloons, newspaper and a homemade glue made from flour and sugar, which is referred to in Spanish as “engrudo.” Students began by using the papier-mâché technique and coating inflated balloons with engrudo before adding layers of newspaper. Once dried, the balloons are popped and a cord for hanging the piñata is attached, along with additional layers of paper to help secure the cord. An opening is left uncovered so the piñata can be filled with candy later.
Despite it being a cold and windy day, Ramírez-Trujillo’s students excitedly ventured onto the campus mall to break their colorful piñatas on Thursday, Dec. 5. While one student attempted to hit a piñata, the others sang a chant:
“Dale, dale, dale, no pierdas el tino
porque si lo pierdes, pierdes el camino.
Ya le diste uno. Ya le diste dos.
Ya le diste tres y tu tiempo se acabó.”
This chant is sung in Mexico whenever someone breaks a piñata, Ramírez-Trujillo explains, and it is translated as:
“Hit it, hit it, hit it, don’t lose your aim,
because if you lose it, you’ll lose your way.
You’ve hit it once, you’ve hit it twice,
you’ve hit it three times, and your time is up.”
“I want my students to experience the culture firsthand, and this activity provides a literal hands-on connection,” Ramírez-Trujillo says.
Click here to view more photos of the students breaking their piñatas.
Education Professor and Students Forge Personal Connections
Since Associate Professor of Education Dr. Jennie Carr ‘05 began teaching at Bridgewater College in 2012, she has hosted students for meals at her home in Dayton, Va., each fall. She organizes two separate meals: one for her advisees in the Teacher Education Program and other students currently taking her classes, and another for student-athletes on the women’s soccer team.
Although these meals do not always occur around the holidays, Carr’s meal for her advisees and current students took place the week before Thanksgiving this year. A group of ten students, consisting of both sophomores and seniors, attended. Carr enjoyed the learning opportunity this provided, as the seniors were able to offer guidance and advice to their younger counterparts.
“The whole purpose is to provide students with a warm, welcoming out-of-the-classroom experience. It’s a great way to connect with them and hopefully build those connections into something that will last as they become alumni,” Carr says. “And this is a completely different experience for some students. For people from the city, this may be the first time they are seeing cows and animals in the country up close!”
Students Celebrate Holiday Season During Annual Journey of Lights
At the end of each year, Bridgewater College celebrates the holiday season with the Journey of Lights, a tradition of learning, merriment and, most importantly, community. This year’s Journey of Lights occurred on the night of Thursday, Dec. 5.
“This Journey of Lights is the most well-attended we’ve had in recent memory,” said Whitney Smith, Assistant Dean of Students for Engagement, as a band of BC students called Oreo Milkshake performed Wham!’s “Last Christmas” for a tightly packed crowd in the Kline Campus Center lobby. More than 150 people attended the event.
The Journey of Lights is split into two parts. In the first, which took place in classrooms on the third floor of the newly renovated Bowman Hall, students listened to presentations about the holidays and seasonal traditions observed by their peers. In total, eight holidays were represented: Advent, Noche Buena, Tihar, Diwali, Boxing Day in Africa, Hanukkah, Eid, Dongzhi and New Year. Each holiday presentation was accompanied by traditional foods for attendees to try, such as “latkes,” a type of fried potato pancake traditionally made by Ashkenazi Jews, for Hanukkah and “conchas,” a Mexican sweet bread roll, for Noche Buena.
In the event’s second part, students and other community members gathered in the Kline Campus Center lobby to enjoy festive pastries and beverages, student musical performances, a reading of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by President Dr. David Bushman and caroling, which was a crowd favorite. Led by music major Charlie Hale ’26 and digital media arts major Stella Hale ’27, students belted out classic holiday carols like “Feliz Navidad,” “Deck the Halls” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
Click here to view more of the 2024 Journey of Lights.
College Community Decorates BC Tree
Central to Bridgewater College’s end-of-the-year tradition, the Journey of Lights, is the BC Tree. Found in the Kline Campus Center lobby, the tree is decorated with ornaments representing and made by the BC community, including its clubs, organizations, departments, offices and athletic teams. Each year, new ornaments join those from years past, forging a connection between BC students both past and present.
Click here to look at this year’s tree and the handmade ornaments that make it a BC icon.
Department of Music Comes Together for Annual Holiday Extravaganza
Bridgewater College’s Department of Music is busy year-round with plenty of on-campus concerts and touring performances. But one of its most popular and well-attended events comes each December in the form of a Holiday Extravaganza, which features a series of festive concerts spread across two days. This year, the concerts fell on Friday, Dec. 6, and Saturday, Dec. 7.
Part of the reason for organizing two concerts instead of just one is to allow almost all the department’s numerous performing ensembles a chance to showcase their talent. This year, the Holiday Extravaganza included the Concert Choir, Chorale, Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble, Trumpet Ensemble, Flute Choir, Chamber Strings, Saxophone Choir, The Men’s Choir, Percussion Ensemble and BC Tuba Guys.
“These concerts are a great way to get into the holiday spirit. We typically have a few hundred attendees split between the two concerts including BC faculty, staff, students, families and community members,” said Dr. Christine Carrillo, Associate Professor of Music and Department of Music Chair.
The student performers often get into the holiday spirit too, with many replacing their usual concert attire with something more festive. Click here to check out some of this year’s best outfits!
