WHAT IS A CHRISTMAS  POSADA?
Posadas are traditional fiestas that are celebrated in Mexico the nine days prior to Christmas—from the 16th to the 24th of December.  It is a symbolic representation in which Joseph pleads for lodging as he and Mary journey to Bethlehem on the eve of the birth of Jesus.  During this procession, a song, which dramatizes the hardship suffered by Mary and Joseph as they searched for shelter, is sung.  

WHAT IS A  PIÑATA?
The Mexican piñata is a hand-crafted, brightly-decorated vessel fashioned with paper and clay (or only paper) and filled with fruit and sweets.  It is used as a representation of the seven deadly sins of the Catholic religion: gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, lust and pride.  The piñata is broken with a stick--representing the strength and power of God--by a person wearing a blindfold around his eyes, which represents faith.  As the piñata is broken, sin is vanquished and, as a reward, candy and fruit come raining down from the broken piñata.