October 12

El 12 de octubre

October 14, 2012

By: Gina Yoryet Roman

For one thing or another I haven't been faithful to my writing. There's a huge gap between September, October and August when I posted more than I ever had. 

My intent this upcoming week is to post three or four days a week.

Speaking of faith, I had to cancel on a friend of mine I was supposed to meet on Friday morning after realizing that it was October 12, dia de la Virgen de Zapopan, 'La Morenita or La Generala,' as Mexicans call her.

Thousands of Mexicans gather the night before to start a procession and stop temple by temple all through Guadalajara. 

This  yearly march is the third most important pilgrimage in Mexico after that of La Virgen de Guadalupe and La Virgen de San Juan de Los Lagos. 

La Generala is carried in a vehicle showered with religious songs, flowers and prayers as a sign of devotion throughout the city that's why most of the main streets are closed.

I didn't witness the parade but I was awakened by the firecrackers early Friday and I felt at ease with the peace and faith spread during the entire day.

I couldn't miss out on a procession so later that afternoon I went to the one at my church.

Three police officers escorted our crowd, stopping traffic, breaking through mobs of people. 

Despite the fact that values and catholicism are slowly being lost in Mexico, everybody reacted very warm as we walked through the streets and passed by low end bars . They didn't join us but I could hear people shouting, "Ahi viene la procesion de la Virgen de Zapopan, apaguen la musica"

Others crossed themselves when they saw us approaching, some joined our chant to La Morenita and one man shouted, "Viva Cristo Rey."

I had never joined a march for La Virgen but I really enjoyed to see Mexicans still have faith.