Tall Tales of Johnny Mudd
Christmas Ogres: Part II
‘Well, Nicholas,” Ole Johnny Mudd replied, “Don’t you recognize your Spanish brother? If you lived in New Mexico, you would look like this too. In order to understand Christmas in New Mexico we must visit many places and many times. Follow me.”
Ole Johnny Mudd mounted the white horse with the brown head and Santa Claus mounted the brown horse with the white head and, faster than it takes a rooster to crow, they found themselves on top of a high pyramid. When they landed, Ole Johnny Mudd was singing: “From Heaven she came, from Heaven she came, triumphant and comely. ‘Juan Diego,’ she called, ‘Juan Diego,’ she called, the Guadalupana, the Guadalupana.” Santa Claus could only stare in astonishment and he paused.
“We are in the past. This is the year 1531,” said Ole Johnny Mudd. “We are in Mexico. In the days before the Spaniards came to the New World, the Indians of Mexico used to sacrifice to the native gods of Mexico. Their gods were blood thirsty. Can you see that lady standing on top of the pyramid of the gods with a youth
gazing up at her? Here is where Christmas begins for us.”
“Please Johnny,” Santa Claus asked him, “tell me the story.”
“Well, one beautiful morning,” began Ole Johnny Mudd, “an Indian maiden appeared on top of the pyramid. She was brighter than the sun and she had the moon under her feet. Just then, an Indian lad named Juan Diego, was passing by. She saw him there and she said to him: ‘My name is Guadalupe. I am the Mother of the one true God and I am the protector of all the Indians here. Go forth and tell the people that they must stop worshipping the blood thirsty gods of Mexico and believe only in the goodness of my Son.’
“She caused some beautiful roses to bloom at the top of Tepeyac hill although it was still the middle of winter. With her own hands, she put them into Juan Diego’s cloak. Without further ado, he ran to tell the people what he had seen. When he finally unfolded his cloak to show them the beautiful roses that had blossomed among the desert thorns, they realized that something miraculous had happened: the roses had arranged themselves and seeped into the cloak as the image of the Indian maiden. Thus is why the Mexicans began to believe in the maiden whose image was stamped into the Indian’s cloak. The Mexicans began to believe in the true God and this is where Christmas began for the people of the desert.”
“What a marvel!” Santa Claus exclaimed. “Just when did all of this take place?”
“It took place on the 12th of December, 1531,” Ole Johnny Mudd replied. “Christmas begins for us on that day. On that day, the Ancient Ones wake up from the sleep and they come down from their caves, attracted by the bonfires where they warm their old bones. Every one of them is a spirit of Christmas past. A new one is born every year. Up to now, there are more than 500 Christmas Ogres in the world. They teach us how to sing the songs and do the ancient dances such as ‘la Paloma’ and ‘el Jorundundú.’ Sometimes they even ask us to put on the ancient folk plays.
“Plays? What folk plays?” Santa Claus asked him.
“There are many,” Ole Johnny Mudd answered. “In one of them, called ‘the Shepherds’ Play,’ a family of sheepherders is watching over their flock one starry night until very late. Among them there is a lazy shepherd named ‘Bartolo’ who is very sleepy and he doesn’t want to pray.
“There is also a hermit who prays so all the shepherds will have a nice night. When they go off to bed, the shepherds see a star, brighter than the rest. However, the Spirit of Evil, named Lucifer, has seen it and he comes among the shepherds to distract them from the sign. He doesn’t want the shepherds to follow it. Lucifer visits the shepherds’ camp and he tries to confound them.
“As he is sowing lies among them, Saint Michael the Archangel comes to drive him away.”
The Spanish version of this story is on page B6. Find prior chapters of Tall Tales in Spanish and English online at taosnews. com.