On this day people from all parts of Mexico make their way to the Basilica of the Virgen of Guadalupe, located in a northern neighborhood of Mexico City. There, they honor Our Lady of Guadalupe with a mass and festival. The Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe became an national holiday in 1859 and involves traditional music, singing, dancing and celebrating with food, drink, and vendors.
The site of the church in Villa Guadalupe Hidalgo is where the Virgin appeared. Pilgrims bring her presents, and some walk on their knees on the stone street leading to the Basilica, asking for miracles or giving thanks to the virgin for a petition granted.
Observances are held throughout Mexico with different rituals depending on the region. In some places, altars of flowers are built in her honor. Other areas celebrate with traditional food like bunuelos, raspados and tortas as well as activities like parades and rodeos.
After the Spaniards conquered Mexico, they tried to convert the population to Catholicism, but the indigenous people had strong beliefs in their many gods and resisted. It wasn't until the Virgin of Guadalupe presented herself to Juan Diego that this started to change.
Juan Diego was a young Indian walking toward the Hill of Tepeyac on December 12, 1531 when he was stopped by the appearance of the Virgin Mary. The Virgin he witnessed was a young woman with black hair and dark skin like himself. She ordered Juan Diego to go to the Bishop and ask him to build a church at the Hill of Tepeyac. When Juan Diego told the Bishop what the Virgin had said, the Bishop didn't believe him.
The Virgin reappeared to Juan Diego and told him to collect flowers from the top of the hill. Because it was winter, Juan Diego knew that would be impossible. However, upon reaching the summit, Juan Diego found it covered with colorful and beautiful flowers. He collected them using his overcoat and ran again to see the Bishop.
Juan Diego gave the coat full of flowers to the bishop, who discovered the image of the Virgin miraculously traced on the coat. The Bishop realized Juan Diego had told him the truth and The Basilica of the Virgin of Guadalupe was built on the hill of Tepeyac in Mexico City.
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ON THE RIVERS
by Rocky Behr, Folk Tree owner
Years ago I began a love affair with European river cruises. Twice I made my way along the rivers of France. My first unforgettable cruise was on the river Seine starting in Paris and ending in the picturesque Normandy town of Honfleur, noted for its past and present artists. The cruise's focus was Impressionism. We made excursions to the towns where Sisley, Monet, and Matisse painted. I'll never forget seeing the Notre Dame Cathedral in Rouen where Monet focused his serial views. The farmhouse and incredible gardens where Matisse painted throughout his life are
forever etched in my memory.
A few year later I again returned to Paris and set off on a Rhone River cruise starting in Frances' food capital, Lyon, and ending in Marseilles. The trip through the heart of Provence--stopping in Avignon and Arles--made many famous paintings come alive. The post cruise visit to the Camargue, France's cowboy country, was a hoot and showed a very different and fun side of France.
I experienced a different kind of river cruise when I chose to see the Yangtze River before the 3 Rivers Gorge Dam was finished. What before (in the second year American tourists were allowed to visit China) was the real thing, all is now organized for mass tourism. For example, in my first experience, the small boat headed toward Guilin was powered by human labor at the river's side. The boat was now motorized. That time on the river we had watched genuine cormorant fishermen using centuries old techniques. Now the only cormorant fisherman was in the town as a tourist show. Another surprise came when viewing Guilin's unique karst formations (tall giant narrow stone outcroppings)--there were perhaps a dozen two storied boats filled with tourists. Oh, progress!
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE, ESPECIALLY ABOUT ROCKY'S MOST RECENT TRIP ON THE DANUBE
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TUAREG JEWELRY TRUNK SHOW
Sat. & Sun., December 14-15
1-5 PM
The Tuareg are a nomadic people who live in
the Saharan parts of Niger, Mali, and Algeria.
They move constantly across national borders.
Much Tuareg art is in the form of jewelry, as well
as leather and metal saddle decorations and
finely crafted swords.
No one knows the true origin of the Tuareg,
where they came from or when they arrived in
the Sahara. Their numbers are unclear, but
estimates run between 300,000 and 1 million.
The Tuareg were recorded by the Greek
historian Herodotus in the 5th Century BC.
This weekend The Folk Tree welcomes Daphne
Schrampf who brings a selection of the Tuareg
jewelry to the gallery.
The pieces pictured to the right are indicative Tuareg
style work, but do not represent specific pieces that
will be available.
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Updates from the
27th INTERNATIONAL NATIVITIES EXHIBITION
20% off
All nativities $100. or more
Artistry of Poland blown glass ornaments 
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Want to see a master at work?
Papier mache artist Joel Garcia is here visiting from Mexico City until December 23.
Call The Folk Tree at 626-795-8733 for information regarding workshops and demonstrations.
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ROCKY RECOMMENDS
Tree of Life
an exhibition at the American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA)
Pomona, CA
through January 26, 2014
a vibrant exhibition featuring work by Herón Martínez Mendoza, a pioneer artist who single handedly developed the tree of life tradition in Acatlán de Osorio, Puebla, Mexico. Mendoza's work is among a colorful display of trees of life by other Mexican ceramists.
For more info: www.amoca.org
Scripps College Ceramic Annual
an exhibition at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery
Claremont, CA
January 25 - April 6, 2014
the longest-running exhibition of contemporary ceramics in the United States celebrates its 70th year with its opening on Jan. 25. Traditionally an "artist's choice" event, this year's exhibition will bring together a large number of past curators from the show's long history to celebrate art in clay. The Jan. 25 opening reception will begin with a lecture at 4 p.m. in the Scripps College Humanities Auditorium given by Peter Held, curator of ceramics at the Ceramics Research Center at Arizona State University. For more info:
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