Mexico celebrates Candelaria virgin

Mexicans celebrated the day of the Candelaria virgin on Sunday, carrying small figures of baby Jesus to church where they received the priest's blessing for the rest of the year.

The festivity has its origins in Europe, where an apparition of the virgin in the Spanish Canary Island town of Tenerife led to the celebration every 2nd of February, was later on brought to the Americas and is celebrated in Mexico to this day.

On Sunday, hundreds of devotees carried their baby Jesus figures dressed in elaborate outfits.

Francisco Alcantara celebrated his 71st birthday by bringing a 110-year-old baby Jesus made of wood that he inherited from his wife's family. Alcantara and his wife come year after year, and they say they feel very blessed having their baby Jesus with them.

"He is a representation of Christ," he said holding on the baby Jesus dressed in white. "We are respectful of our beliefs, that's how our parents, our ancestors taught us, so I love my baby (Jesus)."

Lourdes Martinez has dressed her Jesus figurine as the archangel of love and asked for her marriage to be blessed.

Last year, she dressed her baby Jesus as a doctor.

"Each year we have a purpose. For example, there was a year when he (referring to her husband) was very sick. He had five surgeries in one year. And that year, we dressed him (Jesus) up as a baby doctor," she said.