In almost every church I visited in Mexico City and around the capital, statues of Saint Charbel, a saint from Lebanon were there covered with colored ribbons.
It is believed that faith in Saint Charbel was brought by early Lebanese immigrants to Latin America. The integration process was so effective that the local population acquired not only some of the immigrants’ culinary practices, but their religious ones as well. The Christian faith being predominant there, made it very easy for locals to welcome this saint as a native of their country. Some Mexican friends, who by the way totally ignored the fact that Saint Charbel was from Lebanon, told me that many miracles happened across the country with people who prayed diligently to the saint.
Listones: are colored ribbons that believers buy to write their wishes on and then they hang them on the statue of the saint they are praying for.
In the souvenir shop, listones de San Charbel (Photo by Carla Haibi)
San Charbel in one of the churches (Photo by Carla Haibi)
That is amazing, Carla! We are even exporting our saints!