Teen selected to sing at Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe celebration in downtown Los Angeles
Friday is Día de la Virgen de Guadalupe, a Catholic celebration with origins in Mexico that's now observed across the country, but festivities will begin on Thursday night.
At 6 p.m., a festival will take place at The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels and there's a 16-year-old girl who is helping keep traditions alive.
Salma Parra, from La Puente, is one of the six soloists who were chosen to perform during LA's festival of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
This year, for the first time ever, the Archdiocese of LA encouraged Catholics with talent like hers to submit audition videos to get the chance to participate.
"It's a moment to worship and give my faith to the Virgin Mary," Parra said.
Parra is not only singing for the Virgin Mary but also to honor her two grandmothers. One of her grandmothers was the first person to share the story of the miracle in Guadalupe.
"She's no longer with us, but she is the one who had the most love for her. She introduced me to her," Parra said.
Caroleena Guevara with the Archdiocese of LA says there's a lot of history behind this celebration.
"In 1531, a humble native who had converted to Catholicism was travelling in the hills of Tepeyac in Mexico and Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Virgin Mary, appeared to him," Guevara said.
She added that later, the Virgin Mary also appeared inside his cloak.
"We are very blessed and fortunate to have a little piece of the tilma where the image appeared, a little relic of 1 cm by centimeter here at the cathedral," she said.
For the faithful, she says the Virgin Mary is a messenger of hope and a provider of protection.
In LA, the celebrations began last weekend with an estimated 20,000 people who partook in a historic procession that dates back to the 1930s.
Parra will sing two solo songs and has been practicing with the other musicians selected. Together, they will end their performances with a singing of the traditional Mexican "Happy Birthday" song.
Thousands of attendees are expected to fill the pews in the cathedral, but Parra's mom will be in the front row, cheering her on.
