December 12 Guadalupe Day

Start of the Mexican Holiday Season

By Tara Spears

Without a doubt, the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe is Mexico's most important religious holiday. On this day people from all over Mexico travel to the chapel on Tepayac Hill in Mexico City or attend their local church to honor Mexico's Patron Saint with parades and prayers.  The site of the Basilica de Guadalupe is where the mother of Jesus is said to have appeared in 1531 to a poor Aztec Indian Catholic convert, Juan Diego. As the legend goes, Juan had a vision of a beautiful young woman surrounded by bright light, who announced her identify as the Virgin Mary. She instructed Juan to go to the Catholic bishop and ask that a church be built on the hill so she could be close to her people. The skeptical bishop wanted proof of this vision; he asked Juan to have the Virgin perform a miracle. Mary appeared to Juan a second time and also provided him with a miracle. On the freezing hillside there had appeared a bloom of roses which she instructed Juan to gather and take to the bishop. Juan did so by removing his poncho (or cape) and gathering the flowers into it. Once again Juan came before the bishop, opening the poncho to let the flowers fall out. But it was not the flowers that proved to be the miracle. Instead, imprinted on Juan's poncho was an image of the Virgin Mary, just as Juan had described her. This image is still preserved on that poncho in the Basilica de Guadalupe. In 1810, this very same image also became the symbol for Mexican independence when a patriot-priest used it on his banner.

The name ‘Guadalupe’ is a bit mysterious as there was no town by that name near where Juan had the vision.  It is thought that the word derives from a Nahualtl word, coatlaxopeuh, that sounds like Guadalupe in Spanish, and means something like ‘the one who crushes the serpent.’ 

            Huge fiestas are held all over Mexico and Central America to honor the day of Mexico’s Patron saint. Throughout the day, people come to church to pray. Many of them pin milagros (which means miracles) near the statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe. These small silver or tin objects are shaped like hearts, arms, or legs, and symbolize the giver’s thanks for a cure. It is not unusual to see groups of dancers and musicians that have come to offer their art to the Virgin. Many devout Mexicans put up a home altar to honor the Virgin with candles and flowers.

By the early hours of the December 12 morning, in every small village and urban areas of the country, the burst of fire crackers is heard and their brilliant lights crown this great fiesta dedicated to the Mother of all Mexicans...Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Contact Tara:  terri_sprs@yahoo.com

Slideshow of celebration by Bill Bell