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Show 'Los Pastores1 Is Traditional Feature Of Mexican Yule ONE OF THE traditional features fea-tures of the long Mexican Christmas celebration is "Los Pas-tores." Pas-tores." Participating actors are trained weeks early for this pageant that portrays the story of the shepherds who followed the star to the stable at Bethlehem and found the Christ Child. Christmas songs passed down from one generation to another are sung by the actors as they pass through the streets at midnight Christmas Eve. Each carries a long pole on which are fastened stars of transparent paper illuminated illumi-nated from within by candles, and beats time to the singing with shepherds' staves ornamented with jingling bells. The procession ends at the church, with midnight mass, the singing continuing until dawn, while the devout kneel about in prayer. On January 6, the day of the Three Kings, Los Pastores sing traditional songs before images of the Kings. On that day It is the custom for children to stuff their shoes with hay and place them on balconies in anticipation of the coming of the three Kings. The horses of the Kings are supposed sup-posed to eat the hay, in return for which the grateful Kings place toys and sweets in the children's shoes. |