Friday is the day of the Virgin of Guadalupe and is celebrated by many Catholics and those in the Hispanic community. The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is as big as Christmas Day for some people.

The sights of dozens of Indigenous dancers and the sounds of drums and chanting fill the outside of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Dallas.

"Today is December 12th where Catholics around the world celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe," Josh Salinas said.

A day of faith and remembrance

Salinas, with the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, said the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a worldwide day of celebration and remembrance and a deep expression of faith, particularly for Mexican American communities.

"Here in Dallas, our cathedral, the National Shrine Cathedral, is highly a high pilgrimage site," Salinas said.

Thousands expected for 24‑hour celebration

Thousands are expected to attend Dallas' 24‑hour celebration. It's a spiritual day full of tradition, mariachis at midnight, and roses and candles for the Lady of Guadalupe. The day dates back to 1531.

"She appeared to see Juan Diego, who was of an Indigenous background, poor, and actually is credited with revitalizing the Catholic faith here and across the Americas," Salinas said.

Closing mass caps the celebration

The day culminates in a closing Mass where crowds gather to pray and hope for blessings in the new year.

"All the stomping and all the continuous melodic symbolism that you hear, it's where good is triumphing over evil," Salinas said.