Latin America Christmas Program on Temple Square Celebrates Birth of Christ

Nearly 1,000 cast and crew members performed in the annual Latin Christmas program in the historic Tabernacle on Temple Square to remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

“Luz de las naciones: Ven a mi casa esta Navidad,” Spanish for “Light of the Nations: Come to My House This Christmas,” featured performances of song and dance in colorful costumes and was staged by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The performances, attended by visitors of all ages, took place 5, 6 and 7 December 2013. The program, entirely in Spanish, represented a variety of ways Christmas is celebrated in Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean islands.

The singers, dancers, musicians, actors and crew members who live in Utah put in countless hours of rehearsals on a volunteer basis to share their cultures and testimonies of Christ through traditional song and dance, in addition to video clips, from various countries. The goal of the show’s producers was to make each audience member feel like a special guest in the home of a Latter-day Saint Spanish-speaking family.

A large adult choir sang with a children’s choir and was accompanied by musicians playing traditional Latino instruments. Many of the performers grew up outside of Utah in countries such as Mexico, Colombia and Bolivia and look at the annual event as a way to preserve their cultures.

The annual Church-produced Latino programs have become well known on BYUtv International and are broadcast across the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world. The Church has provided annual inspirational events focused on the growing Latino community of Latter-day Saints for more than a decade.