The Chimayó village in northern New Mexico may be small, but its influence is anything but.Every year during Holy Week, an average of 300,000 people make their way to El Sanctuario de Chimayó. The church is known to have healing properties and bring blessings to those that seek them."It was always just to get back to God," Nina Steffen, from Rio Rancho, said.The annual tradition involves a pilgrimage to the small Catholic church from people around the world.The event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic and health concerns."It feels good. We need to see the people walking again. It was so sad for two whole years. It was really, like depressing not to see any of the people walking," Sylvia Montoya, an early trekker, said.Montoya added the pilgrimage is an annual tradition for her family.Despite driving this year, she said she made the walk several years ago, along with her mother, sister, and brother."My mom did it two years ago, and she did it from Galisteo," Montoya said. "Her and my sister and my brother."A similar experience for Steffen.She said she's been visiting the holy sanctuary for the past 22 years, joined by a group of local military moms."What really started it was our sons. I'm a group of Blue Star Moms that have sons and daughters in the military," Steffen said. "We've just done it every year to ask God to protect our kids."Steffen added she often spends her time praying for her son, Howard.He's currently stationed in Jerusalem."I got my dirt from the hole. I got the holy water," Steffen said. "They talk about God's country. This is the ultimate God's country, right here. It's just so peaceful."Some people, like Nicole Guzman, started their trek a day before Good Friday, in order to beat the crowds."This is the first time in like the past three years that I have done it. I would normally do it every year," she said.Guzman started around 11 a.m. in Truchas, an almost three-hour walking journey to Chimayó.Like many, she embarks on the journey for a special reason.From praying for good health to fulfilling religious promises."A lot of people pray. A lot of people meditate. We met a lady back there that was meditating on her way this way carrying the cross," Guzman said. "This year, I kind of just did it for my family. I have my stepmother's mom, that was really sick. And in the process, we found out that she had passed, so this was for her more than anything."Despite her personal loss, Guzman continued to walk on.Not just for her own family, but for others in need of prayer and guidance."I know a lot of us carry a lot of burdens, and this gives us time to meditate and to think about it. At the end of the day, God has us and he's going to push us the rest of the way," Guzman said.The pilgrimage dates back hundreds of years.El Sanctuario de Chimayó is one of the most-visited holy sites in the United States. The sanctuary sees the most visitors during Holy Week but is open year-round.

Sunday marks the start of Kwanzaa and one woman is turning to education to celebrate the special tradition.It's a seven-day, non-religious holiday observed in the United States. Kwanzaa is meant to honor African Americans' ancestral roots."It’s so important to convey this tradition because it’s ancient. It’s not new, it’s old, and it brings us together," Doris Fields, who celebrates Kwanzaa, said. The tradition often involves symbolic items like a candle holder (Kinara), unity cup (Kikombe cha Umoja), placemat (Mkeka), crops (Mazao), corn (Muhindi) and gifts (Zawadi).Fields has celebrated the holiday for over 35 years, from paying homage to ancestors to sharing hopes for the new year."Usually there are people in their 90s , and they have so much wisdom," Fields said. "They have so much to offer to us."While Fields' annual events may look smaller due to the coronavirus pandemic, she said she doesn't stop the opportunity to teach.On Sunday, her home was a haven for a small group of friends, eager to learn more about the tradition."There were people here who had not had Kwanzaa with us before, so it's very nice to be able to share our thoughts," Fields said.The holiday involves seven principles, represented by candles: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. "I’ve been celebrating Kwanzaa with my family. probably for the last like 10 or 15 years," Markella Clinton, who also celebrates Kwanzaa, said. "It’s something I look forward to every year. It’s a great family excuse. It’s a great community motivator as well because you don’t just have to be family to be able to come and enjoy."According to UCHealth, a not-for-profit health care system, Kwanzaa is the fastest-growing holiday in the world.As popularity increases, Clinton said it's important to ask important questions."Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to look for information," Clinton said. "Educate yourself, because it’s not a religious holiday. It’s about community engagement and having faith in yourself and having faith in your community." The celebration lasts until Jan. 1.

Many people celebrated Christmas far from home, leaning on Zoom calls and mailed gifts to get them through.When a package didn't make it home, this family worried a tradition would be lost until a stranger stepped in to help.Like many families across the world, the Negrete family traded Christmas celebrations with grandma and grandpa for conversations over Zoom."We were used to doing Christmas morning together," said Kylie Negrete. "We want them to be a part of our Christmas morning because they used to live next door to us."Negrete asked her mother to send homemade Christmas cookies from Tennessee because that's what they ate together every holiday season."They mean so much to us because we weren't going to see my parents this holiday season," she said. "That's the only thing I was going to get to see are the cookies made by mom and by my stepdad."By Christmas Eve, the cookies hadn't arrived until Negrete received a phone call by a man named Mike, who found a package addressed to her lying in the middle of the street.Mike delivered the desserts to her home and Negrete was overwhelmed with thankfulness."I cried and I felt silly for crying but it was just the one thing I was going to get from my parents is that little bit of them are these cookies that they made from their heart," she said.Although it was a smaller Christmas morning than years past, sometimes a little piece of home is just what you need."Even during these dark times where there's all these unknowns, a pandemic, everybody's lives have just been uprooted, it just goes to show that there's so much good in people," said Negrete.