Eastsiders celebrate La Virgen de Guadalupe on her feast day

Every year, devout Catholics celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12.

The date marks the appearance of the Virgin to Juan Diego, an Indigenous man, on a hill of Tepeyac in Mexico in 1531. The international religious symbol is honored with masses, processions and other celebrations across the Eastside.

Shrines dedicated to the brown-skinned Virgin are a common sight in communities like Boyle Heights and East LA, where La Virgen remains a steady source of hope after a year of fires, immigration raids and housing insecurity.

On Friday, a procession led by Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights made its way to Placita Olvera. A statue of La Virgen was installed at Mariachi Plaza in Boyle Heights the evening before.

Ahead of the feast day, Unión de Vecinos, a local chapter of the Los Angeles Tenants Union, led Boyle Heights residents in a 12-day pilgrimage starting Dec. 4 to honor the Virgin Mary.

In East LA on Dec. 7, another procession marched from Our Lady of Solitude Parish to East Los Angeles College for a Mass in honor of La Virgen.

Here are some scenes we captured of celebrations on the Eastside.