Velankanni celebration, highlight of Mumbai’s calendar, reaches Canada

MUMBAI: The novena (nine days of prayers) leading up to the celebration of the birthday of Mother Mary by Catholics in the city and in the town of Velankanni in Tamil Nadu has been going on since August 30. With the D-day, September 8, approaching, the Catholics in both the places are gearing up to end the holy period with a special service and a feast.
“Every parish holds the novena and feast to end it in their own way, but the main observation is held in Velankanni, where 1 lakh devotees from MMR go for the novena ending on September 8, and around 5 lakh visit the church every year. In Mumbai, the major celebrations are held at Our Lady of Velankanni church in Irla, Vile Parle, and Bhatte Bandar in Uttan,” said Gleason Baretto from the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat.
In many ways, the celebrations in Mumbai are veering away from traditions. The East Indians, who were the harbingers of the Mount Mary festival around a century ago and the subsequent fair, now mourn the lack of priority given to them when it comes to setting up stalls in the Basilica, which is being done in the last two years through a draw. Despite their protests, the original tradition has effectively come to an end with the introduction of the new system, leaving many disappointed.
So, to preserve the sense of togetherness and to foster a sense of belongingness among the East Indian community, the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat has introduced the “colour of the day” practice, with prizes for good measure. “We’ve issued a colour code for every day, inviting group photos on social media and to us personally. Prizes are given out on each day, with the winners getting an East Indian Lugra umbrella,” said Baretto.
Alongside the Panchayat has also introduced different themes for each day to highlight the East Indian way of celebration.
“For every day of the celebration, we pick one letter from the 10 alphabets that make up ‘Velankanni’ and link it to an East Indian word to add a spiritual term for reflection. For example, today is Navas, meaning novena,” he said.
The celebration of devotion to Mary, mother of Jesu Christ, has expanded, branching beyond the country’s borders. “For the first time the novena of Our Lady of Velankanni is being observed in Canada this year by the Catholics of all nationalities settled there,” said Godfrey Pimenta, an East Indian activist.
The devotion to the Lady of Velankanni, a title given to Mary, emerged after a series of apparitions and miracles in the town of Velankanni. “It began in the mid-sixteenth century,” said Pimenta. “Three events led up to it: the apparition of the Madonna and Child to a slumbering shepherd boy, the miraculous healing of a handicapped buttermilk vendor, and the rescue of Portuguese sailors from a deadly sea storm.”
The sailors constructed a chapel at the site, which was raised to the status of a minor basilica by Pope John XXIII in 1962. “He called the shrine ‘the Lourdes of the East’ due to the massive influx of pilgrims,” said Pimenta, explaining that ‘Our Lady of Velankanni’ is one of the many titles given to Mary, like Our Lady of Lourdes in France, Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal and Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. In the Velankanni church, a flag is hoisted every day at noon followed by a procession, called palki, at 8pm.
Meanwhile, for those who could not afford to make the pilgrimage to the Tamil Nadu town, the nine-day devotion to Our Lady of Velankanni was started in Irla, with stalls outside to make it akin to a fair.
As for the East Indian devotees doing the nine-day novena this year, they will shimmer in gold on the feast day on September 8, which is the colour code dedicated to the special day. Turning out in their best, they will then attend a special service in their church following it up with the customary greeting of each other, and then topping it up with a grand feast, either in the church premises or in their home.