Bishop Allows Catholics to Have Novena & Shower Flowers at their Homes for ‘Monthi Festh’
Mangaluru : For the FIRST time in the history of Mangaluru, that Diocese Bishop Rev Dr Peter Paul Saldanha has allowed Catholic Households to do Novena & Shower Flowers at their respective Homes for ‘Monthi Festh’, to keep the tradition alive, during this Covid-19 pandemic. The nine days of novena which began on 30 August, to mark the ‘Monthi Festh’ said in Konkani language or ‘Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary’, which was earlier restricted to Churches only is now allowed in every Catholic household of the Diocese of Mangaluru and Udupi. Thanks to pandemic, where young and old will shower flowers to ‘Monthi Mai’ in the comfort of their home.
For the Catholic Christians in “Rome of the East”, as Mangaluru is called, the traditional family feast “Monthi Festh” celebrated after nine days of novena is an integral part of the culture, which reminds them of their original roots.. However, with pandemic, the novenas with major attraction of little children, an adult and old showering flower on the statue of Blessed Virgin Mary is a miss. In order to keep the tradition alive, the Mangaluru Diocese this year in the wake of the pandemic has allowed households to do novena and shower flowers in the comfort of their home.
“Monthi Festh” aka Feast of Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary is a major Mangalorean Catholic festival which falls on September 8 every year. This festival celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and in the Mangalorean Catholic community involves blessing of Novem (new crop). The festival derives its name from the Monte Mariano Church at Farangipet in South Canara (now called Dakshina Kannada), and was initiated by Joachim Miranda, a Goan Catholic priest at Farangipet in 1763. The Church is also also known as Mount of Mary.
Oral history goes to state that the Nativity festival of our Lady was first celebrated at Monte Moriano to coincide with the annual feast of the church. The term ‘Monthi’ has been derived from the word ‘Monte’ and over the years has been modified to be known as ‘Monthi Fest’. On this solemn occasion, the Catholics partake in a community feast or a family feast having only vegetarian dishes. Though Tippu Sultan destroyed the churches of South Canara, he spared Monte Mariano Church in deference to the friendship of his father Hyder Ali with Father Joachim Miranda.
The nine days novena in preparation for the feast already began on 30 August with Novena Mass in all churches in the district. The Novena days are the preparation for the Birthday of Mother Mary as well harvest feast for the whole family where the day begins with mass with children and devotees adoring the statue of our lady of nativity with flowers. Earlier years there used to be a grand procession on the feast day to venerate and respect Mother Mary with flowers before the beginning of festival mass, but not this year, due to pandemic. The atmosphere used to be resounding with the traditional hymn of “Sokkad Sangata Mellyan, Moriyek Hogalsiya..”, and it was really amazing to see children in full joy and enthusiasm, where they brought flowers in their respective colorful baskets to honour Blessed Virgin Mary, but all this will be missing this year.
Since the novena began on 30 August, four children namely Andrea Pinto, Allen Pinto, Ashlyn Pinto, and Adithya, accompanied by their parents, get up early in the morning, and join in the Novena at 7 am held at Athma Jyothi Ashram, Souza Lane, Kadri, Mangaluru run by Capuchin Friars, Fr Cyprian Peter D’souza and Fr Dolphy Serrao. Their parents bring these children to this small religious place, since it has a very limited crowd, which is kind of safe during the pandemic. And the children are very happy that they get good respect and love from Fr Cyprian and Fr Dolphy, in a special way.
Parents Mrs Shiny and Roshan Monteiro, residing in Bondel, Mangaluru, who all these years used to take their six-year-old daughter Neoline Monteiro to church for the novena mass with a bucket of flowers. “This year it is not possible due to the virus scare. However, we find new arrangements meaningful. The children are excited and more involved in decoration. When we pray novena at home, we don’t shower flowers instead offer gently each flower to Mother Mary,” said Shiny Monteiro, a teacher by profession, speaking to Team Mangalorean
Fr Victor Vijay Lobo, PRO and procurator at Mangaluru Diocese speaking to Team Mangalorean said, “The diocese has tweaked some parts of the novena and festive celebrations during this year due to the onset of the pandemic. Earlier novena in every church was conducted after the Holy Mass, this year it is vice-versa. Children aged below 10 and senior citizens are not allowed for any church mass prayers gatherings. During the novena, showering of flowers is skipped instead devotees will offer only one flower to Mother Mary. Also the Bishop came up with the decision to allow Catholic families to have novena and shower flowers to Mary at their homes, which is kind of safe for the children during the pandemic. On festive day— September 8, there will be no procession, and churches not allowed to hold two or more masses”.
It should be noted that Christians all over the world will be celebrating the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) or simply the birthday of Mary, the Mother of our savior Jesus Christ, as well as our Heavenly Mother. The birthday of Blessed Virgin Mary which is celebrated with the blessing of the new corn and family meal is one of the great celebrations of the Konkani Catholic community residing all over the world. People living in the West coast of India, Christians celebrate this feast as’ Nove- Jevnche ‘ or in other words ‘ Festival of Harvest’ . The people use this occasion to salute the kindness of the divine powers and earn their kindness. This is also the festival in which they thankfully acknowledge the kindness of Mother Nature and mother earth for the bounteous crops.
On September 8, the Catholics consume only vegetarian meal, known as ‘Nove Jevan (New Meal)’. The newly harvested rice stalks and sugar-canes, duly blessed by the priests at church, are then taken home by the people. The grains are crushed at home, added to milk, and served to the family members. So it is also a festival representing the symbol of family unity. This feast is celebrated with joy and happiness as it is the harvest festival as well, a time when the farmer is getting the crop ready for the year.
Monthi Festh is the celebration of family bonds, filial relationships and a feast which makes us aware that we are very much part of nature around us bringing us closer to Mother Nature. The specialty that we venerate and celebrate Mother Mary’s birthday because she is the mother of the Messiah the savior, redeemer Lord Jesus Christ. So automatically as Jesus is the son of God, She becomes our heavenly mother too. It is really amazing to see that all Konkani Catholics unite wherever they are spread across the Globe with one spirit and zeal and make it a point to celebrate this great festival of Monti fest all over the world.
It is a tradition in Mangaluru for the families to gather together and share a vegetarian meal consisting of at least 5-7 vegetarian dishes. The grains taken from blessed paddy stalk or corn is added to the milk or ” Vorn” (Payasam) and offered to the members of the family in a symbolic gesture of thanksgiving for our Lady’s blessings. The festival has a special relevance in the modern world as it keeps the community together not just in South Canara (DK) and Mangaluru city but in all different continents where Mangalorean Catholics have settled. They continue to celebrate Monthi fest in whatever way they can in their countries and enjoy the nostalgia connected with their own families and parishes back home.
As a child, I remember gathering flowers from the garden and also from the neighborhood, and carrying them to Church in a dish/plate- but these days children have the privilege of carrying the flowers in fancy baskets, which are sold in various stores, and they have been selling like hot cakes. Images of Baby Virgin Mary are seen in large numbers at these shops. No doubt, Monthi Festh is gaining popularity all over the globe these days, as it is celebrated in every town where the population of Konkani-speaking people is sizeable. Singing of hymns, ‘Sakkad Sangatha Melyam’ and ‘Moriyek Hogolsyam’ has been an inherent part of Monti Fest. The people feel blessed and blissful by paying obeisance to Mother Mary on her birth anniversary. Even the busiest of people take time off to be a part of the celebration, to hail Monti’s kindness and get divine blessings, on ‘Monthi Festh’.
