It's getting closer to midnight here in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
The biggest celebration of the entire year in the city is getting underway.
The Pilgrimages of the Virgin of Guadalupe
and we are here to see it all unfold.
The Virgin of Guadalupe is the patron saint of Mexico.
She is inextricably linked to Mexican identity.
Her image is everywhere here and it’s extremely important
and these pilgrimages, the celebrations, take place every year from December 9th to 12th.
The story of the Virgin of Guadalupe goes all the way back
to near Mexico City in the 16th century in 1531
when a poor peasant farmer named Juan Diego was visited by the Virgin Mary who told him,
“Tell the bishop this is where I want him to build a church in my name.”
He went to the bishop and the bishop didn’t believe him, but she had given him a sign.
And in his cloak were red roses, which do not grow in Mexico.
And not only were these red roses a sign,
but they were both shocked to see that painted onto his cloak
was the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe standing on top of a crescent moon.
That was the sign that the bishop needed and they built that church there near Mexico City
and every year since, people in Mexico, and all around the world,
have been celebrating the Virgin of Guadalupe.
It’s hard to say how many people are here but certainly thousands,
all of them pilgrims who have come from all over representing themselves
and different companies
and different places around Puerto Vallarta
and from outside Puerto Vallarta.
All of these pilgrims are coming in a continuous procession
that will continue all through the night.
And they’re making their way, all of them, to the steps of the main church here.
They’re going inside the church, up to the altar, and meeting the priest who is greeting them.
They are saying prayers and then they continue on their way out the church
so that the procession can continue behind them.
We're outside the main church right now.
It is almost midnight.
At exactly midnight, everyone here is going to sing a song called Las Mañanitas.
It's sort of a birthday song about a new dawn.
A birthday song, in a way, for the Virgin of Guadalupe
and that marks the main day of celebration as the clock strikes midnight into December 12th.
How lovely is the morning in which I come to greet you,
we all come with joy and pleasure to congratulate you.
The clock just struck midnight.
We heard the band playing.
Everyone sang the song.
The day you were born was the day all the flowers were born.
on the baptismal font, all the nightingales sang.
And something that I wasn't expecting is that
all of these fresh flower petals fell from the sky.
There were huge fireworks.
I still have some flower petals on my... on my hair and on my clothes.
Incredible moment!
There's so much energy here right now.
Happy energy.
Everyone is positive and celebrating and kind of in a rejoicing mood.
And everywhere you look people's faces kind of reflect that.
There's kids who have fallen asleep on their parents' shoulders
and everyone is just excited and happy to be celebrating the Virgin of Guadalupe.
So, this is a really exciting moment.
We are so happy to be a part of it
and just feeling the energy from this crowd is unbelievable.
These celebrations are going to continue all through the night.
The pilgrims will continue to come.
They're going to keep the procession going down the street, up to the church, up the stairs, inside,
and we are going to come back here in the morning to see the celebrations continue then.
We're back.
It's the next morning.
These processions have been going on all night, they're still happening.
I'm just kind of in awe at how many people there are in the streets.
I'm noticing a lot of people are wearing the colour white because that's the traditional colours.
You'll see a lot of white t-shirts and dresses in the crowd.
And people are carrying flowers, singing...
Also a lot of the children are dressed in the traditional clothing.
Especially the little boys.
You'll notice they are dressed in the same way as Juan Diego,
who was of course the man who was visited by the Virgin of Guadalupe
and told the bishop where to build her church.
They're all dressed like him.
I don't know if I've ever seen so many cute kids in my entire life.
They all have...it's another one.
I saw one had a little moustache painted on.
They're wearing the traditional clothing with a hat often.
The little girls are dressed as the Virgin Mary
and they just all look incredibly adorable.
These people are all continuing the pilgrimage towards the church.
They go inside, they're blessed by the priest who receives them there
and then they continue on into the streets.
They might grab a bite to eat.
There are lots of carts and stands set up here selling all sorts of different foods.
Celebrate and then line up again to go back into the church.
I hopped up onto the sidewalk from the street with the procession
just to give you an idea of how many thousands of people there are
and as we get closer to the church, the crowd gets bigger and bigger
and the walking kind of gets slower and slower.
And all of these people are waiting until the steps of the church clear
so that they can get inside too.
I think it's holy water that they're sprinkling on the pilgrims
as we walk inside the church.
And everyone is so hot from the sun and the heat that it's kind of fun
and everyone's kind of laughing as they get sprinkled with the water.
Also because you know you're almost inside the church
that you've been lined up for waiting for hours.
We were standing at the front of the church
and this woman came by with her little baby boy dressed as a little Juan Diego
and so I said how cute he looked
and she motioned if I wanted to hold him and of course, I would never say no to that.
And she let him...she let me hold him.
His name was Miguel Alejandro.
So, so cute and he kind of woke up in my arms and we took some photos together.
And I...I feel really...I feel really emotional that she let me hold her baby
and I just feel like in this church, this amazing celebration with all these people
and all the energy here and the singing and the music
and the anticipation of getting inside here and then...
...she really made my day.
She made the whole day.
Really special.
The sun is starting to go down.
The processions continue.
Pilgrims have been going all through the day and night towards the church.
Now is no exception.
And they'll continue until midnight tonight.
The sun has gone down, which means that the next part of the festivities is about to begin.
That's what all of these crowds here are waiting for.
The Torch -- Antorcha is coming from Mexico City.
The Torch represents something really special in the pilgrimages.
It's the light of Christ.
It represents hope and solidarity.
And everywhere in Mexico, every town sends a group of runners to Mexico City
to the Basilica of Guadalupe where Juan Diego originally saw the Virgin of Guadalupe
and they dip their torch in the cauldron of fire there like the Olympics,
and then they carry it back running a relay.
And there are about fifty runners coming from Mexico City to Puerto Vallarta.
They are all selected about a year ago so they have to apply,
they have to write why they want to be a part of it.
And then there's physical obviously training and spiritual training
that goes on throughout the year to prepare them for this event.
So it's really special, not only for the runners and for the pilgrims,
but for the whole celebration to get the torch into the church here in Puerto Vallarta.
And it represents not only of course the light of Christ
but also hope and solidarity and unity
and connectivity and bringing that light across all of Mexico from the origin
where Juan Diego first saw the Virgin of Guadalupe
and bringing that light of Christ to the church here in Puerto Vallarta.
The torch has just gone by.
It's run into the church.
I'm covered in glitter.
Just came inside the church.
Followed the torch inside to the front.
They use the torch to light some of the advent candles now in preparation for Christmas.
They had glitter explosions as the torch came by
so as you can see, I am covered...covered in glitter.
Absolutely sparkling, literally, the whole event.
¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!
¡Viva!
¡Viva Cristo Rey!
¡Viva!
¡Viva Puerto Vallarta!
¡Viva!
You could tell the torch was coming because there were sirens.
You could see them from quite a ways down the road.
And also the crowd got very quiet.
I noticed that everyone except some music playing was quiet
and then as the torch approached, people started to clap
and the clapping got louder and louder as the torch got closer and closer,
making its way to the church where it's been for 80 hours on its way from Mexico City.
I just kept looking at that group of runners thinking,
what must they be feeling after a year of physical and spiritual preparation
for this exact moment that I am here in Puerto Vallarta to see.
What must they be feeling in their hearts, what must they be thinking in their minds?
I can only imagine but I could just feel... feel the emotion
and I think everyone watching them could too
and it really was a collective... a collective moment
as we watched that torch go past us up those steps
bringing the light from Mexico City here to Puerto Vallarta.
I have to admit when we first got here, I had heard of the Virgin of Guadalupe
but I had honestly no real sense of what a deeply meaningful event this is.
Not just for Catholics, of course, but for Mexicans.
And for me this is all about love and being connected to other people.
Relating to the people around you and I feel really touched by the whole experience.
Watching the festivities unfold has been a true privilege.
I hope that you have enjoyed this as much as I have
and that you'll subscribe for lots more adventures together.
If you like the video, remember to give it a like
and I'll see you in the next one.