Local farmers will be raising prayers to patron saint, San Isidro Labrador, at an outdoor service Monday, May 16, 7 p.m., at the giant sculpture of the Virgen de Zapopan set on the north-south leg of the Chapala Malecón.
The gathering ties in to the long-held religious tradition of petitioning the saint for divine intervention to propitiate favorable weather during the upcoming planting and harvest season. Since the May 15 feast of San Isidro falls on a Sunday this year, the service will take place a day later than usual.
The farmers will also ask for sufficient rain to sustain Lake Chapala and bring along seeds and animals for a special blessing. San Isidro is considered as the Catholic saint adopted as a substitute for the Aztec rain god Tlaloc.