Caacupe is the religious center of Paraguay and the Feast of the Immaculate Conception its principal festival.

The town of Caacupe is located 54km from Asuncion. It is home to the modern Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Miracles. Within that is housed the statue of the Virgin of Caacupe.

The statue of the virgin was carved in the 16th century. It was made by a Guarani convert at the Franciscan Mission in nearby Tobati.

The statue was housed in the mission church for many years until the settlement was destroyed in a flood.

Afterwards the statue was discovered down stream where Caacupe now stands. This a numerous other miracles were credited to the Virgin of Caacupe.

Thereafter people traveled from across the country to receive blessings from the virgin and to seek her assistance. Paraguay is a deeply Catholic country and the veneration of the virgin is as strong as it ever was.

The day dedicated to the Virgin of Caacupe is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. This falls on the 8th December.

The first year the festival for the virgin was held on that date was 1765.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is by far the biggest religious festival held in Paraguay. From across Paraguay everyone who can heads to Caacupe and the virgin. In addition many people travel from as far as Brazil and Argentina in order to attend the festival.

Caacupe for most of the year is a quiet country town. It is however transformed in the weeks surrounding the festival.

First to arrive are the various traders. Some are local and set up stall in one of the semi permanent markets. Along with them arrive are traders from across the country whom set up stall upon every inch of roadside.

These traders sell the whole variety of items that are to be expected at any large festival. From snack food and childrens toys through to commemorative T-shirts and finely carved religious objects.

Also arriving in great numbers are indigenous women of the various native tribes of Paraguay. They bring their hand crafted items which are so typical of Paraguay. These are always of a fine quality and no home is complete without an example of Paraguayan handicrafts.

Next the pilgrims begin to arrive in numbers to seek the blessings of the virgin. The town gets very crowded as the 8th approaches so those wishing to avoid the crowds and to enter the cathedral to see the virgin are sure to make their visits early.

As the days of the 6th and the 7th arrive the streets become fuller and fuller. As a safety measure the roads into Caacupe are closed to traffic on the evening of the 7th and will remain so for a day or two. The crowds by then are so thick that the roads are as crowded with bodies as the pavements.

People who wish to be in Caacupe on the 8th aim to arrive in the early hours. There is all through the night street food and entertainment to be found.

It is traditional to make the pilgrimage to Caacupe on foot. This is a walk of about 50km from Asuncion and so takes a number of days. From further away within Paraguay it takes greater time and planning.

Of course not everyone wishes or is able to make the entire pilgrimage on foot. Many instead catch a bus to the nearest town and then walk the last 10km or so.

For those arriving in Caacupe there is more to be seen than simply prayers and souvenirs. Every day for the last week leading up to the festival a large open air mass is given. This is given on the cathedral steps with the crowds filling the plaza in front of the cathedral and listening to the words relayed through loud speakers.

On the morning of the 8th December the principal mass of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is given by the head of the Paraguayan church.

On the cathedral steps around him are all the bishops and high church officials of Paraguay. In front the plaza is so jammed full of bodies that none can take a step forward or backwards. All stand there peacefully listening to the mass and feeling the presence of the virgin.

Once the mass is over and the blessings have been received thought turn to home. With the streets still closed to traffic the crowds must walk to the outskirts of town in order to find a bus to take them there.

With such a crowd filling the town it takes most of the rest of the day for everyone to head on their way. Thereafter for the next few days there will continue to be a small stream of pilgrims arriving in Caacupe to visit the virgin without the masses pressing in on them.

Finally there will just be the collecting up of the rubbish and the cleaning of the town and Caacupe will return to being a quiet country town until the next Feast of the Immaculate Conception.