Thursday, December 11, 2008

Lesser known celebration coming

For those of you reading this who are not Mexican,
tomorrow is "Virgin of Guadalupe" Day, or "Our Lady of Guadalupe" Day.

The following information is compliments of Wikipedea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe):

Guadalupe's feast day is celebrated on December 12, commemorating the
traditional account of her appearances to Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin on the hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City from December 9, 1531 through December 12, 1531.

The Virgin of Guadalupe is a symbol of significant importance to Catholics. Mainstream Catholics believe that Guadalupe was a manifestation of the Virgin Mary in the Americas and recognize her as "Empress of the Americas." The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City is the second most visited Roman Catholic shrine in the world.

The Virgin of Guadalupe has also symbolized the Mexican nation since Mexico's War of Independence. Both Miguel Hidalgo and Emiliano Zapata's armies traveled underneath Guadalupan flags, and Nuestra SeƱora de Guadalupe is generally recognized as a symbol of all Mexicans. The Mexican novelist Carlos Fuentes once said that
"...one may no longer consider himself a Christian, but you cannot truly be
considered a Mexican unless you believe in the Virgin of Guadalupe."

So, Felicidades Virgencita de Guadalupe!!