Hundreds of Nicaraguans sang in praise of the Virgin Mary at flower-and-light-filled altars set up in church parking lots as well as in the back of vehicles on the streets of Miami to mark the Dec. 8 feast of the Immaculate Conception.
The exuberant celebration called “gritería” is especially poignant this year during the ongoing crackdowns on religion in Nicaragua as well as on immigrant communities in the United States.
