December 5 in San Gabriel, Los Angeles County, was marked by the 90th annual procession of the Virgin of Guadalupe after the one-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

According to the newspaper “Los Angeles Times”, last year, “procession organizers hosted a pandemic-sensitive car rally in San Gabriel that included a small Mass in the San Gabriel Mission’s parking lot.” This year, “a few thousand Roman Catholic devotees lined up along Cesar Chavez Avenue to greet images of the mother of Jesus and view floats, bands, dancers and marchers”.

The most visited Catholic site in the world, with an estimated 20 million pilgrims visiting annually, is The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The single most important day to those millions of pilgrims is December 12: Our Lady of Guadalupe Day.

The Lady of Guadalupe Day, also known as the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on that day to honor the belief that the Virgin Mary appeared before a man in Mexico City. According to the Basilica’s recorded history, “The Perfect Virgin Holy Mary Mother of God, our Queen, miraculously appeared out at Tepeyac, widely known as Guadalupe.” The year was 1531. and the Basilica is located near Tepeyac Hill.

The story continues that Mary appeared before an Aztec Indian named Juan Diego just after the Spanish conquest of Mexico. She told Diego that “she was his mother and would take care of all the people of Mexico.”

The story of Mary and Diego has transcended even Catholic legend. The Mythical Humanity of Christ website writes, “it is also a reminder of the mingling of Catholicism and culture since Our Lady of Guadalupe is honored not only by Catholics but by the country of Mexico as well, which lies under her patronage.”

The Virgin Mary is now a part of Mexican culture and part of the historical fabric of its history.

Catholics all around the globe celebrate Our Lady Of Guadalupe Day in parishes with Mass, dancing, and celebration. 

In the United States, it has been honored as a day of prayer in solidarity with immigrants and refugees since 2016.

But no celebration is larger than that of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The day is a statewide public holiday. The entire population is off, and schools and businesses are closed.

Thomas M. Landy, the founder of Catholics and Cultures writes that “Guadalupe’s famous image, a brown-skinned woman in a starry blue mantle, hands folded in prayer, is ubiquitous in Mexico. She is a remarkable part of believers’ daily lives throughout the year, in their homes, churches, prayers, and community life.”

On December 12, the day begins with Masses scheduled throughout the morning. Around noon is the special Blessing of the Roses, when the congregation holds roses, and the story of Juan Diego is told, explaining how “Guadalupe told Diego to go seeking an abundance of flowers growing there, and take them to the bishop to prove what hadn’t [been] believed.”