Our Lady of Guadalupe: Why the patron saint of Mexico is celebrated on Dec. 12

Corrections & Clarifications: Previous versions of captions in some of the photos gave an incorrect date for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The feast day is on Dec. 12.

The Virgin of Guadalupe occupies a special place in the culture and religious life of many Mexicans and Latinos in the United States. Her importance is so great that her image, which originated in Mexico, has become a transnational symbol, her influence growing across the U.S. due to migration and the increased presence of Mexican culture.

Catholic churches organize masses, processions and festivals in her name on her feast day, Dec. 12, coinciding with the day she appeared before an Indigenous man in the 1500s in what is now Mexico City, according to Catholic teachings.

But her image is emblematic in Mexican culture, beyond her religious symbol, becoming a symbol of resilience and resistance. Her imagery is commonly seen on signs and banners during marches and protests that involve issues impacting Latino communities, on clothing, lowrider car hoods and tattoos, continuing her powerful influence for nearly 500 years.

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims visit her altar, the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Mexico City each year, creating elaborate decorations in her name, lighting candles and leaving flowers in a demonstration of loyalty to one deemed "a mother to all."

What is her origin story and how did she become a symbol of resistance to many? Here's what to know as her feast day comes around.

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Who is Our Lady of Guadalupe?

Our Lady of Guadalupe, referred to also as the Virgin of Guadalupe, is none other than the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.

Within the Catholic faith, it is common to come across various versions of Mary, as the church believes she takes on different forms often symbolic with the region and people where her apparition took place.

The Virgin of Guadalupe appeared as a dark-skinned woman who spoke Nahuatl, Juan Diego's native language, resembling the Indigenous peoples who considered the Hill of Tepeyac — where she made her apparition — a sacred place.

When is Our Lady of Guadalupe's feast day?

The feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is commemorated every Dec. 12. That day millions of pilgrims make their way to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and sing her happy birthday at midnight.

What is the miracle of the Virgin of Guadalupe?

According to Catholic belief, Mary appeared to Juan Diego on Dec. 9, 1531, when he was on his way to mass. She asked him build her a shrine at the place where she had appeared, the Hill of Tepeyac, now a suburb of Mexico City.

The local bishop demanded that Juan Diego provide a sign proving that the Virgin Mary had appeared before him. On Dec. 12, she appeared once more and directed him to an area where he could pick roses, even though it was wintertime, and deliver them to the bishop as proof.

Juan Diego collected the roses in his mantle, went before the bishop and opened his mantle to show him the roses. As he did so, dozens of roses fell to the ground and the image of the Virgin Mary impressed in the mantle. Her shrine was built years later on the Hill of Tepeyac, while the first church in her name was built in 1709.

Who is St. Juan Diego?

According to Catholic teachings, Mary appeared before an Aztec man named Juan Diego. Canonized in 2002, over 470 years after the apparition, St. Juan Diego was the first Indigenous person to become a saint in the Americas.

Per Vatican documents, St. Juan Diego was born in 1474 with the name "Cuauhtlatoatzin" ("the talking eagle") iand was a member of the Chichimeca people, one of the more culturally advanced groups living in the Anáhuac Valley.

He converted to Christianity when he was 50 and was close to 60 years old when the apparition occurred. Upon his death in 1548, he was buried at the site of the first chapel built in Mary's name in Tepeyac.

What is the difference between the Virgin of Guadalupe and Our Lady of Guadalupe?

The name "Mary" is of Jewish origin and means "the chosen by God," "the most beautiful" or the "illuminator."

"Guadalupe" is of Arabic origin and means "River of black grave" or "the bed of the river."

According to religious experts, the Virgin of Guadalupe was presented with the name St. Mary of Guadalupe, which translates to "the holy bed of the river that carries living water and true light."

How is Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrated in Mexico?

In Mexico, as early as Dec. 1, pilgrims from all over the country and from different parts of the globe begin their journey to the Basilica of Guadalupe to thank, visit and see the "Morenita del Tepeyac." They arrive by the thousands each day and often make camp on the massive grounds of the basilica.

The busiest day is Dec. 11, as they all gather for midnight mass to sing her praise, pray in her name and sing her happy birthday.

Throughout the early morning on Dec. 12, a festival-like celebration unfolds with singing and dancing, while mass is held throughout the day for pilgrims.

How is Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrated in Arizona?

Unlike Mexico City's mass celebration, cities in Arizona, while devout, tend to scale it back. But thousands make an effort to attend each year.

In Phoenix, the Catholic Diocese celebrates an annual mass and procession, often drawing up to 4,000 people in a single morning. This year, the celebration held on Dec. 2 brought together at least 80 groups from parishes across the Valley.

Some churches in the Valley choose to celebrate starting Dec. 11 and into the early morning of Dec. 12, mirroring the veneration that takes place in Mexico City, with song and prayer.

What is Our Lady of Guadalupe the patron of?

Throughout history, the symbol of her as the mother of all Mexicans has only strengthened, with her divine person being one of the most revered in the country due to the protection she offers those who pray to her.

In 1737, many believed she put an end to a deadly plague that ravaged Mexico City. That same year, she was proclaimed patron saint of Mexico City. She was later proclaimed the patron saint of what is now Mexico and parts of present-day California, Guatemala and El Salvador.

How did Our Lady of Guadalupe become a symbol of resistance?

Her image played an important role during Mexico's revolt against Spanish rule in 1810. Priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla promoted her as a patron saint of the uprising he led against the Spanish. The image of the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared on the banners of the rebels and their battle cry was “Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe.”

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Emiliano Zapata, leader of the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920, made his rebel soldiers carry a banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe when they entered Mexico City in 1914.

During the Mexican Civil War of 1926, rebel banners also contained her image.

In the United States, due to the increase in Mexican population, her presence has also become increasingly notable.

During the 1960s, civil rights and labor organizer Cesar Chavez used the image of the Our Lady of Guadalupe during his battle for the rights of agricultural workers. Those who protested with him wore the emblem of the Virgin.

For Latina women, the Virgin represents motherhood, femininity, and sometimes their fight against oppression.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Our Lady of Guadalupe: Why we celebrate and who she is