Looking for the Baby

There is more to February 2nd, the Feast of Candelaria, than just eating tamales.  It is officially the end of the Christmas season.  On this day, people bring their images of the Baby Jesus, dressed in a brand-new outfit, to church to have them blessed.  It is a custom that is unique to Mexico.

The last time I was in Mexico for Candelaria, in 2020 just before the pandemic, Alejandro and I were visiting the old gold-mining town of El Oro.  We saw a steady stream of people carrying their Baby Jesus (known as "el Niño Dios") to church.  You can read that blog entry HERE.

I was curious as to what extent that custom was followed here in Mexico City, so yesterday I took a taxi to the Historic Center.  I figured that most of the churches would have mass at noon, so I arrived around 11:30.  

My first stop was at the Church of La Profesa on Madero Street.

A mass was already being held in one of the church's chapels.  There were a few people there, but only one person had brought a "Niño Dios".

I figured that I might have better luck at the Cathedral.  I continued down Madero Street to the Zócalo, the main plaza, and entered the Cathedral.

Mass had not yet begun, but a number of people were already sitting in the pews.  And some of them had their Baby Jesus with them.  I got up the nerve to ask one lady, "Excuse me, may I take a photo of your 'Niño Dios'?", and she consented.  Actually she had three images in her basket.  Perhaps friends or relatives had asked her to bring their dolls to be blessed.

Attached to the Cathedral is the separate parish church known as El Sagrario.  The façade is an outstanding example of Mexican baroque style known as churrigueresque.

 I stepped inside.  The interior is relatively simple in comparison.  There was nothing going on.

However, there was a "Niño Dios" sitting on a table to the side of the altar.

I continued beyond the Zócalo into a section of the Historic Center not in the typical tourist zone... not really a dangerous area, but one where I wouldn't want to wander at night.  I stopped in the Church of Santa Inés, but they had already celebrated their mass for Candelaria.

There was a "Niño Dios" in front of the altar and several others on a nearby table.

I finally stopped at the tipsy Church of Loreto.  Built in the early 1800s, it was the last major church of the colonial period to be constructed in Mexico City.  Because it was built from two different kinds of stone it is sinking unevenly into the soil.  The building is considered structurally unsound and is in danger of collapse.

The noon mass for Candelaria was still going on at 12:40 when I entered.  I figured that mass would soon be over, so I sat down in a pew at the rear.  There seemed to be quite a few people with their Baby Jesus figures, and I could take some pictures as they left the church.

Inside the church there was wooden scaffolding that reached to the ceiling. It was not there the last time I visited this church, and I suppose that it is there to support the roof.  I don't know if that should have made me feel safer or feel more in danger.  Anyway I hoped that an earthquake didn't hit while I sat inside.

The dome of the church is the largest in Mexico City from the colonial era.  The frescos which once covered the dome have all flaked off.

The priest was already in the middle of his sermon when I entered.  Between the face mask he was wearing and the echo in this cavernous church, I could not make out much of what he was saying.  He was talking about the origin of the feast day.  According to the Gospel of St. Luke, forty days after Jesus's birth, Joseph and Mary took the baby to the Temple in Jerusalem.  His sermon went on and on; he finally concluded about forty minutes after I arrived. 

After communion was given, the priest went down the aisle and sprinkled holy water on the images which the parishioners had brought.  I went outside and I took some pictures as people left the church.

 

I asked a couple of ladies if I could take photos of their "Niños", and they consented.  In fact one of them seemed quite thrilled that I would want to take a picture.

So, the custom of bringing the Baby Jesus to church on February 2nd is still alive in Mexico City.