Mexico is a fun country to study as you discover Christmas around the world. Mexican Christmas traditions include Ojos di Dios, or Eyes of God.
The Hichol (wee-chole) people of Mexico live in the mountains. They speak an ancient language & have followed many of the same customs that were followed by their great, great grandparents.
According to the Huichols, parents say a special prayer for a newborn child to be health. As they say the prayer, they wind yarn in bright colors around 2 crossed sticks, making a design that looks like an eye.
The four ends of the sticks stand for earth, air, water & fire. These are the 4 corners of the earth, so the child will be safe anywhere.
They also wrap a strand of the baby’s hair into the eye, believing the “eye of God” will always look after the little one.
Ojos de Dios are also made to help people in their everyday lives. The colors may mean special things to the owners of the ojos.
- A fisherman might have an ojos with a sea-blue eye.
- A farmer might have an ojos wrapped with leaves of the plants he wants to grow.
- Your gift ojos might be in a favorite color of the person for whom you are making it.
Remember this is a custom of Mexico. As believers, we know that God is with us at all times. We don’t need an “eye” to trust Him.
A simple craft you might try is making Eyes of God ornaments. All you need are 2 sticks and yarn of any color. We used popsicle sticks.
Tie sticks together to make a cross by wrapping the yarn several times around them in one direction. Then tie the yarn several times the other way. Pull tight.
Next, weave one strand of yarn over one stick, under it again & then around it. Continue this pattern clockwise around each stick. Pull tight every one in awhile.
Add other colors by tying a new piece of yarn to the previous one.
When you are finished, dip the end of the stick in glue and wrap the yarn around it. Or, use a hot glue gun to glue the yarn in place.
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