Mangalore, Sep 8: Christians across coastal Karnataka on Sunday celebrated the birth of Mary, mother of Jesus Christ, with great religious fervour.
In coastal districts, this festival is popularly known as 'Monthi Fest'. For the Konkani-speaking Catholic community of the region, September 8 has a special significance as the day is also celebrated as the day of the 'New Corn'. The occasion is also marked by thanksgiving mass for the blessing of a good harvest.
Cordel church parish priest Rev Fr Valerian Pinto hoisted the church flag in the presence of thousands of parishioners in preparation to the Annual Feast of Holy Cross to be celebrated on 15 September.
This celebration will be marked the inauguration of the new Adoration Chapel of the Holy Eucharist.
As a preparation to the feast, children bring flowers arranged in trays, plates and baskets to their respective churches and offer them to Mother Mary on the nine days preceding the feast.
On Sunday, thousands of children brought flowers from faraway places to their respective churches. They showered flowers on the idol of Mother Mary at the grotto.
Parishioners took out a procession. Most of the parishes had arranged distribution of sugarcane to children who had brought flowers to offer to Mary while a few distributed ice creams and sweets.
As part of celebrations, parishioners donated rice, vegetables and coconuts among other things and the same was distributed to the poor in the parish besides to old age homes and orphanages.
Traditionally, the feast was celebrated as a family feast with a ceremonial lunch in which only vegetables find a place in the day's menu. Though in earlier times, up to 13 types of vegetable dishes (usually only odd numbers) were prepared, in the present times, most of the families limit it to five or seven. As an unwritten rule, Catholics avoid meat and alcohol on the day.
This is also an occasion for all the family members to unite at the ceremonial lunch. It is a practice that if any member of the family cannot attend the celebrations, the corn will be sent to them by posts to faraway places like the Gulf countries, US and Europe.
As per the tradition, after de-husking the corn blessed in the church, it is powdered and mixed with a dish made out of coconut milk and rice batter, and is partaken along with the lunch.
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