Our Lady of Guadalupe

“Today is an important day for the Mexican people,” Father Jairo Ramirez began in a quiet voice. “A day to celebrate the traditions of our culture.”

On Sunday at 4:30 a.m., the streets of downtown Lodi were silent, but inside St. Anne’s Church, the Festival of Guadalupe had just begun.

The church was filled with Mexican American families. Women knelt at an altar of “Our Lady” covered with flowers and tall votive candles. Children in richly embroidered clothing, handmade and brought all the way from Mexico, slept in the laps of tired parents. The smell of incense wafted through the crowd, as Alfonso Guiterrez said with a laugh, “It’s not important to us how early it happens. It’s the best day of the year.”

For the Mexican-American community of Lodi, Dec. 12 marks the beginning of the holiday season, a chance to catch up with friends, eat good food and honor the Mother of Mexico. The festival is a way to keep a strong connection to the country of their birth and give their children an opportunity to learn about Mexico’s cultural heritage.

The celebration of “Our Lady,” as she is often called, dates back to 1531 when the icon appeared in a vision to an impoverished Mexican Indian named Juan Diego and identified herself as the true mother of God. She left behind an image imprinted on a piece of cactus cloth and a tradition that has been passed down through generations of Mexican families.

“It’s an expression of out faith, our spiritual path,” said procession organizer Alma Rodriguez. “People have a lot of respect and veneration for this day, and it’s important that this tradition is passed to our children.”