Christmas decoration bells. A bow is usually used at the top or bottom, and an electric or unlit candle may be placed in the middle. Christmas lights are often used, and they may be hung from door or windows, and sometimes walls, lampposts and light fixtures, or even statuary. Since the 19th century, the poinsettia, a native plant from Mexico, has been associated with Christmas. In North and South America, Australia, and Europe, it is traditional to decorate the outside of houses with lights and sometimes with illuminated sleighs, snowmen, and other Christmas figures. Municipalities often sponsor decorations as well. Christmas banners
Christmas in New Mexico green in color often hang from rooftops over porches. Luminarias are large bonfires made of pinyon logs. Native Americans of New Mexico often partake in matachines dances around Christmastime. These dances combine elements of the Spanish El Moros y los Cristianos dances, traditional Native American rituals, and Mexican indigenous ritual dances. The Procession of our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated by Hispanos and Mexican-Americans. Las Posadas is a celebration in which revelers, dressed as Mary and Joseph and Hebrew people, go from house to house asking for shelter to reenact the Nativity. Christmas in New Mexico Christmas traditions in New