Thousands of faithful celebrated throughout the country on Thursday the Day of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, better known as the Day of the Virgin, in a day during which they thanked, asked and prayed in different parts of the country in a framework of suffocating heat that dominated a large part of the national territory.
In the Buenos Aires town of Luján, one of the faithful who arrived at the emblematic Basilica of that city, María Alejandra told Télam: “I have faith. I came to ask the Virgin to help me because I lost an eye. I came to ask her to give me strength to continue, but also, I came to ask her for peace and tranquility in the country”.
For her part, Delia highlighted: “I have been coming to Luján for 30 years. I come from Paso, Pehuajó district. I come to thank and ask. I work in a hospital, so I experienced the pandemic up close. Every year I come with my daughter, and I also came with my granddaughter. We arrive and light a white candle”.
Antonio, for his part, made a promise for life “That’s why I’ve been coming here for 42 years every December 8. I remember that 15 or 20 years ago you couldn’t walk because of the people there. I’m surprised to see so few people now. It could be because of the heat or because of the economic situation, because the prices of everything went up. I come to ask and to thank. Spiritually it is very good for me to come here. I come by bus, I listen to mass and when I leave, I feel much better”.
Much further north in Salta, La Silleta, Guachipas, Payogasta, Angastaco and Tolar Grande These were some of the towns in Salta where the patron saint festivities were held in honor of the Immaculate Conception of Mary and the Virgen del Valle, with activities that brought together the majority of its inhabitants despite the intensely hot day.
In La Silleta, which is in the department of Rosario de Lerma, about 20 kilometers west of the city of Salta, the mass and the procession took place, with the image of the Virgin Mary and the misachicos, They are small processions that, with their respective images of the Virgin, arrived from different points of the Lerma Valley and surrounding areas.
The residents of that town, inserted in the municipality of Campo Quijano, They participated in the procession through the streets of the town, under the strong rays of the sun, and despite the intense heat, with a temperature that exceeded 35 degrees Celsius.
The image of the Immaculate Conception, together with the small images of the virgins who took part in the religious festival, They were placed in front of the church, where the traditional civic-military parade took place at noon.
Under the chords of the Music Band of the Police of the Province, whose members were dressed as gauchosthe stanzas of the National Anthem were sung, and a handful of students from the Gesta Güemesiana secondary school opened the parade, along with ex-combatants from Malvinas.
In another point of Salta, Payogasta, located in the heart of the Calchaquíes Valleys and 150 kilometers from Salta Capitalthe Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which is the patron saint of the town, also took place.
of the emotional holiday Misachicos and pilgrims from different places participated, and there were also gauchos from different forts in the area.
after the mass, The image of the Virgin left the parish and toured the streets of that small but picturesque town, framed by imposing hills, and hundreds of faithful accompanied her.
Many tourists usually attend these celebrations, due to the emotional religious and traditional content that it possesses, in addition to the important call.
While, In Catamarca, the Marian festivities in honor of the Virgen del Valle summoned thousands of faithful and concluded after 6:00 p.m., with the traditional procession in the Adán Quiroga park.
Although the high temperatures that marked 40 degrees at noon, the arrival of columns of pilgrims from different parts of the country was incessant, to participate in the traditional festivities of the Virgin Morena.
“I walked 75 kilometers from the department of El Alto to the feet of the Virgin in the Cathedral”, Sebastián Maidana said in dialogue with Télam.
“I left at 3 in the morning on Wednesday and arrived at 17, despite the unbearable heat. It is to highlight the solidarity of the people who helped me with food (water, ice, fruit, sandwiches) all the way. The number of people who come on the pilgrimage route for the Virgin is impressive,” Maidana said.
From the Catamarca police, They reported that from December 1 to last Thursday, more than 80,000 pilgrims entered the province.
Since the early hours of the morning the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady, the Grotto of the Virgin, and the Parque Adán Quiroga were the settings chosen by the thousands of pilgrims who enter Catamarca on foot, on bicycles, motorbikes, and cars to participate in the festivities.
Also at the entrance to the Grotto of the Virgin, located seven kilometers north of the capital, Since dawn, dozens of groups of supportive people have been observed, assisting pilgrims with water, fruit, breakfast, nougat and ice.
Meanwhile, in the Cathedral Basilica Nuestra Señora del Valle located in front of the central square of the province, there were blocks of queue to enter the central nave of the sanctuary.
In the morning hours, the diocesan bishop Monsignor Luis Urbanc, presided over the solemn mass, which was concelebrated by priests of the clergy of the capital and of the diocesan interior, as well as by priests of sister dioceses.
On the Day of the Virgin, we turn on the lights of our Government House because special dates are approaching.
I sincerely wish that we always find in our lives that light full of hope. May love, health, peace and happiness always be with us. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/BgNmgqY8n2– Ricardo Quintela (@QuintelaRicardo) December 9, 2022
Devotees and pilgrims participated in the Eucharistic celebration, who took refuge from the scorching sun under the trees of Adán Quiroga Park.
One of the most emotional moments that was experienced during the Holy Eucharist, It was when more than 130 members of the Infantry and Mountain Regiment No. 15 of La Rioja, They arrived at the Adán Quiroga Park running from their province in 5 kilometer relays to the song of “Las Malvinas Son argentinas”.
Bishop Urbanc noted that “The mystery of the Immaculate Conception is a source of interior light, hope and consolation. In the midst of the trials of life and the contradictions that we experience within and around us, Mary, Mother of Beautiful Love, tells us that Grace is greater than sin, that God’s mercy is more powerful than evil. and knows how to transform it into good”, he said.
On December 8, the Immaculate Conception of Mary is remembered, which, according to Catholic tradition, means that she was conceived in the womb of her mother, Ana, without original sin, fruit of a relationship between her and Joaquín, the traditional names with which the parents of the Virgin are recognized.
this holiday It was celebrated for the first time in Spain in the year 1644, but it was declared a public holiday in 1854 by Pope Pius IX.
In Argentina, as a Catholic country, This festivity was proclaimed a national holiday.
