The festival of Our Lady of Guadalupe happens every year on Dec. 12
INDIANAPOLIS (MIRROR INDY) — If you walk in downtown Indianapolis on the evening of Dec. 11, you might witness something out of the ordinary for our Hoosier streets: people wearing feathers on their heads, colorful costumes with Aztec symbols and images of the Mexican Virgin Guadalupe.
St. Mary’s Catholic Church at 311 N. New Jersey St. — one of the first churches in the city to offer a bilingual mass — has been known for its mid-December public processions that include drums, Aztec dancers and a large congregation walking throughout downtown Indianapolis. The festival starts at 9 p.m. and leads to a midnight mass.
Although Dec. 12 is the official day for the Catholic Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which honors the Virgin Mary as the patron saint of Mexico, the celebrations extend to more than just a day. There are traditions such as a novena, a nine-day prayer period before the feast day. And on the 12th, there is a special mass where mariachis play music, parishioners sing “Las Mañanitas” (the Mexican birthday song) and Aztec dancers perform.
The first time many Hoosiers heard about “Our Lady Guadalupe” was on Aug. 11 1895, when the Indianapolis Journal published a story, “Legend of A Shrine.” It reported on the re-opening of the newly expanded Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City, where the first Guadalupe Marian apparition took place in 1531.
With the rapid growth of the Latino Roman Catholic population in the latter half of the 20th century, more local parishes in Indianapolis took on celebrating the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Part of the festivities include a reenactment of the Marian apparition. It is common for parishioners to dress in traditional costumes or in simple garments in reverence to St Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzinn, the Catholic-converted Chichimeca man to whom — as the story goes — the Virgin Mary appeared.
In the late 1990s, a different procession took place in Indianapolis
In 1997, Javier Amezcua, the owner of the popular eastside Mexican restaurant, El Sol de Tala, purchased a painting of the Virgin Mary while in Veracruz, Mexico. The Indianapolis Star publicized that Amezcua’s painting was going on a procession of its own — a traveling novena, where the painting would be displayed in Indianapolis-area Mexican restaurants.
During the day, it was displayed on a dedicated altar at each restaurant and the rosary was said every evening, followed by a small celebration.
The traveling novena culminated on Dec. 12 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in the Fountain Square neighborhood with an 8 a.m. mariachi band, festivities and prayers. Later that evening, the painting went to nearby St. Philip Neri Catholic Church for a special mass.
The participating restaurants were: La Raza Taqueria, 3749 W. Washington St.; La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant, 3874 Lafayette Road and 11658 N. Fishers Station Road; La Morenita Musical, 1410 E. Marlow Ave.; Los Tapatios, 710 U.S. 31 South and 1353 W. 86th St.; La Tapatia, 2639 Manker St.; and El Sol de Tala, which used to be at 2444 E. Washington St.
More than a religious symbol
The Virgin Mary is seen as both a religious and cultural icon. She is mostly known as the “Queen of Mexico” and her image is widely displayed in varying constructs, from churches to spaces used in everyday life.
Her image is a protective talisman featured in homes, restaurants, cars and as tattoos. It is believed that her image in a car could prevent auto theft. She is depicted by contemporary artists as a symbol of female empowerment or unconditional motherly love. She is truly all-encompassing.
Where to celebrate this year
This year, Dec. 12 falls on a Thursday, so celebrations will vary. Some will start at midnight Dec. 11 and some will wait until the evening of Dec. 12, where mass will be officiated with folkloric dances, including Aztec dancing, mariachi performances and reenactments of St. Juan Diego’s visions.
With the exception of St. Mary’s, most events are limited to activities inside the church.
The following Catholic parishes are part of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis’ Hispanic Ministry. They all have their feast day events detailed on their websites.
- St Anthony Catholic Church
- St. Gabriel the Archangel Church
- St. Lawrence Catholic Church
- St. Monica Catholic Church
- St. Mary Catholic Church
- St. Patrick Church
- St. Philip Neri
- Holy Spirit Catholic Church
The colonial origins of the legend
The Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, celebrated on Dec. 12, was first established by Pope Benedict XIV in 1754. In 1999 Pope John Paul II declared her as the “Patroness of the Americas.” She is seen as a symbol of unity in diversity and motherly love for humanity. For context, it is important to understand her culturally complex history to understand her importance of today.
Spanish conquistadors brought Catholicism from Europe to Tenochtitlan, present day Mexico in 1519. After their arrival, they began to build churches. Prior to their arrival, Tepeyac Hill in Tenochtitlan was once a site of reverence for the Mexica goddess Tonantzin, Nahuatl for “our mother,” who was the goddess of earth, agriculture and fertility.