Guanajuato, Mexico, Dec 12, 2021 / 15:05 pm
Celebrations began before dawn on Dec. 12 in a small town in the Mexican state of Guanajuato as church bells rang out, fireworks were lit, and people gathered to sing “las Mañanitas Guadalupanas” in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
For the past 15 days, the town has held rosary processions through the streets each day at 6 a.m. in spiritual preparation for the Marian feast. The processions, known as “Rosario de la Aurora,” culminated in a daily Mass in a church dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Throughout the weekend of Dec. 12, children dressed up as Saint Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe reenacted the 16th-century apparition in Tepeyac on the back of pick-up trucks in multiple parades through the banner-covered streets.
Musicians and people dressed in traditional embroidered clothes carrying baskets filled with enchiladas, fruit, and flowers followed behind in the procession singing “La Guadalupana.”