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A small wooden statue, known as Our Lady of Camarin, known on Guam and the Marianas as the Patron Saint Santa Marian Kamalen, stands watch over the people of Guam and the Marianas Isles in the apse of the Agana Cathedral Basilica.

Oral tradition relates that Santa Marian Kamalen, Patroness of the Marianas islands, floated into the shores of Merizo escorted by two crabs with lit votive candles on their backs over three hundred years ago. Made of ironwood, which does not float, her arrival by way of sea was a miracle in of itself. It is told that the statue was brought in by a fisherman who presented her to the Spanish Governor. Legend relates that the fisherman drew near to the statue repeatedly but it drifted away. It was until he fully clothed himself that the floating statue could be approached and touched. Our Lady was housed in a proa shed or camarin until she could be moved to the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica in Agana where it sits in a perch above the church's altar.

This exquisite image of Our Lady, with hands and face of ivory and a cap of natural hair, is bedecked with a jewel-studded crown of gold and gold jewelry. For centuries, Chamorros have held this visual image of the Immaculate Virgin which has survived fires, earthquakes, typhoons and WWII. Government Code of of Guam Sect.1 Chapt 10 paragraph 1000 designates Our Lady of Camarin Day as an official holiday on December 8th. Since the early 1900s, On that Feast day, the Basilica is closed, the statue is taken down from the apse, groomed by a select group of people, and is placed atop a karosa or cart of blossoms. The cart is pulled with the centuries old figure being a central visual image leading a Catholic procession around Hagatna, the capitol city of Guam. Throughout the procession, the sound of prayers in various languages weave through the thousands of faithful believers honoring Jesus [through Mary who is identified as the Immaculate Conception]. As with religious traditions in the Marianas, Catholics do not pray to statues or do not worship statues.

The tradition is a carryover from 1825 and 1834, when Guam's faithful made a "promesa" (promise) to hold a procession in Mary's honor after a series of devestating earthquakes.

Padre San Vitores built his first church in February 1669 on Hagtna land given him by Chief Quipuha. He dedicated it to Dulce Nombre de Maria (Sweet Name of Mary) - a name and site of the village's church (now basilica) has kept for over 336 years.

The ancient Chamorro society was one of only a handful of societies that are matrilineal in nature. Having Mary as the patroness reflects the ancient community quick acceptance of a mother figure.

On Dec 2, 2002, a cost saving measure for the Government of Guam was enacted Public Law 26-157 which trims the number of govt of Guam holidays from 16 to 10. Eliminated were Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Presidents Day, Discovery Day, Good Friday and The Feast of the Immaculate Conception Our Lady of Camarin Day as holidays in Guam. In face of pressure from constituents, including legislator's mothers and family and an impending typhoon "Ponsonga", lawmakers on Dec 3, 2002 voted to recall Unpingco's bill from the session voting file and changed the name of the holiday "Remembrance Day" back to Our Lady of Camarin Day. On Dec 8 2002, on the Lady of Camarin anniversary, one of the most devastating typhoon Ponsonga [a Korean word for a little flower] landed on Guam.

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