Virgin of Guadalupe feast day

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Virgin of Guadalupe is Mexico's most popular religious and cultural image.Guadalupe's feast day is celebrated on December 12, it is to commemorate the apparition of Virgin on the hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City from December 9, 1531 through December 12, 1531. Here is how the story goes, Juan Diego saw a beautiful lady dressed in a blue mantle trimmed with gold on an old Aztec shrine, which is the now Tepeyac Hill several times. He was sent to tell the church that he had seen Virgin Mary and a shrine should be built on that site to honour her. However, no one believed what he said. On his fourth encountering with the lady, the lady image was emblazoned on his cloak, this has lead to the church in accepting his story and a cult developed around the area.

In Basilica de Guadalupe in Mexico City, this huge religious event has attracted thousands of pilgrims to visit. Apparently, some pilgrims will travel the last meters to the shrine on their knees.

I was gutted when i found out that i will be flying to Merida the night before the celebration,I thought i was going to miss the celebration crowd, but there were many processions taken place in Merida too. We walked passed many houses where they have the images of Virgin of Guadalupe hang infront of their houses. We also saw people parading on the street, waving flags that have images of Virgin Mary, this was usually follow by van transporting a Virgin Statue. At some point, we actually saw people walking on their knee too.

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Photos

procession participated by nuns
The Virgin statue was carried by a van

More Virgin images
This picture is taken inside someone's house that we walked passed.

Chritsmas decoration
Damien and Kamila both found it very amusing to see Christmas deco in a hot weathered country. You see, they are from Poland, they have this white christmas picture in their head. :)