Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12th

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is commemorated December 12th. While I was aware it was celebrated at many Hispanic Catholic churches with a mass followed by a community dinner. I never knew the significance of this Feast until I read:

Catholic Culture wrote:In 1910 Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared Patroness of Latin America, and in 1945 Pope Pius XII declared Her to be the Empress of all the Americas. She appeared to an Indian convert named Juan Diego on December 9, 1531. She left a marvelous portrait of herself on the mantle of Juan Diego. This miraculous image has proved to be ageless, and is kept in the shrine built in her honor, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Sunday evening I went to Immaculate Conception Church's festival with my family and Josephine. We arrived to the decorated gym before celebrants arrived from the church nearby, which allowed us to see the entire event unfold. Once people arrived, a shrine to Guadalupe was erected and several youths carrying roses laid them before Guadalupe.



While dinner was promptly served cafeteria-style, we choose to wait to admire the dance performance in native costumes. Once we were in line we could choose from:

Mole with chicken, rice and salad:


Tostadas with pork:


White pozole:


My favorite was the pozole, though it was my first encounter with a white variant. There were bowls of minced chilis, chili powder, oregano, minced onion, guacamole and lime wedges to adjust to taste.

After dinner the floor was open to dancing, which I hope Josephine will comment further.

While Immaculate Conception celebrated on Sunday, St. James Church in Highwood celebrates on December 12th. There are many other churches celebrating tomorrow, which I am sure anyone is welcome to attend.

A very nice evening with good food and an opportunity to visit another culture's celebration.

Regards,

This celebration for the Virgin of Guadalupe was the perfect event to follow the previous evening's festivities at Ed's and the Skylark. With the good food and danceable music, it was clear that all the families present, (including Cathy's family) were having a wonderful time. One couple in particular reigned on the dance floor, making it clear that they had danced together for years. But nearly everyone, even the teenagers, seemed to know a few basic moves on the floor, and to be unself-conscious about it. My favorite dancer was a little boy about 3 years old who wore an outfit that featured a portrait of the Virgin of Guadalupe herself. Though he wore a worried expression, he found a number of much much taller partners and stayed on the dance floor until the end!

I have to agree with Cathy that the posole was the standout menu item, since the chicken broth was natural and subtly seasoned and the chunks of hominy were huge and perfectly cooked -- not all mushy as is sometimes the case. I also enjoyed the mole, which was rich but not hot, and the seasoning of the pork tostadas.

A bonus for me was spotting Rafael Pulido (aka El Pistolero), the morning DJ on K-Buena, who was one of the chief organizers of the recent march for immigrants' rights. Cathy and I saw him at a talk about the Hispanic influence in Chicago hosted by Steve Edwards of WBEZ at the Chicago History Museum. Rick Bayless was the other interviewee that evening, but I have to say that I learned more from Mr. Pulido. (In any case, last night I was reluctant to approach Mr. Pulido at his church function, in spite of Cathy's urging.) As Cathy says, I am just a shrinking violet.':wink:' Next year, I hope to attend with two good ankles and to see if that cute little toddler is up to a much older dance partner!