Morfin, Yessica (Week 3)

 As a Chicana who grew up Catholic, I’m familiar with La Virgen de Guadalupe. Growing up, my parents had an image of her in almost every room, the same goes for my tias and tios. As I grew older, I realized that religion plays a significant role in culture. We’d attend events dedicated to La Virgen honoring her and thanking her. The church my family would go to would have plays followed by danzas and a parade with floats all in honor of La Virgen. My mom would make us attend a parade in Oakland almost every year and we’d walk for miles and hours until we all reached the Diocese of Oakland where a mass and ceremony followed. All in honor of La Virgen. 

I didn’t like being forced into attending events, but the food vendors who’d be at the events made it bearable. To this day, my family still honors La Virgen and they have an image of her everywhere they go. My parents don’t like that I don’t have a framed picture of her in my room since I moved out. I do, however, have a necklace of her that I wear all the time that my godparents gave me on the day of my quince. I wear it because it brings me comfort, not necessarily because I worship her, but because it’s what I know and it reminds me of my parents and helps me feel closer to them.

I’m still unsure about what exactly my relationship with La Virgen is, but I do know that she does have a place in my heart because I can’t just erase that part of my childhood. I’d like to explore more, but maybe in the future.