Dedication of Basilica of St. Mary Major
The Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major originally was meant to commemorate the legend behind the founding of the Basilica. This feast originally honored Our Lady of the Snow and her role in the founding of the Basilica. The legend states that snow fell in the place where the Basilica was meant to be built. Though this legend has no root in fact, artificial "snowfalls" are staged at Marian shrines across the country.
Pilgrimage Site in the United States
National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows — Belleville, IL