Children in Balderstone, Mellor and Samlesbury have come up with an ingenious new way to celebrate the Posada on video.

The new short film, with its catchy Calypso Carol soundtrack, was seen for the first time at a recent Advent Zoom service, led by the Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Rev. Julian Henderson. 

The video is available to watch on YouTube here or click the embedded video above. 

The Posada is the Mexican Christian tradition of marking the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Jerusalem. In the UK, the Posada usually involves figures of Mary and Joseph being passed from one household to another in a parish during Advent, from December 1 to December 24.

This year the pandemic has put paid to the tradition, but a virtual posada was devised by the parishes’ united benefice planning team.

Individual video clips of children from the churches were stitched together to give the impression that the children were passing the figures to the next family. Some of the children used their own nativity figures from home while others were made especially for the occasion!

Rosemary Cummins, a member of the benefice planning team, said: “The video not only reminds us that as we prepare for Christmas we need to make room for Jesus in our homes, in our lives and in our hearts; but it also reveals the joy that it can bring!”

Bishop Julian added: “It was a really uplifting moment to be able to watch the Posada video for the first time as part of the Zoom Advent Service. Churches all around the diocese are making creative responses, including reaching out online, in the midst of the pandemic and this is yet another great example.

“The video was a wonderful way to mark Advent and reminds us of the story that sits at the heart of Christmas for all Christians.”

Ronnie Semley, 16/12/2020