The tradition of Posada started in Mexico - a re-enactment of Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem, seeking shelter (posada means 'inn').

In the UK, many churches now hold a Posada (sometimes called Travelling Crib) during Lent using nativity figures which travel from home to home before arriving in church on Christmas Eve. The Church Army resource is a good starting point, but parishes have adapted the tradition to suit their context:

• create a travelling bag to contain Mary, Joseph, donkey, Christmas story book
• include enough knitted sheep in the travelling bag for every household to keep one
• create a facebook page for households to upload photos of their Posada
• include a prayer or meditation to use at the handover
• encourage households to share food/drinks/a party at handover time
• send a Posada around local shops or businesses for them to display in their windows (families can act as the carriers to get the Posada to the next venue)
• send a Posada round the classes in school

The variations are endless! It's a great opportunity for mission, for building relationships between people in a congregation, for bringing generations together. You might even need to have 2 Posadas happening at the same time!