Mangalore: Members of Christian Community celebrated “Monthi Fest” with grandeur on Monday, September 8 around the city.
The grand celebration of Monthi Fest was held with traditional gaiety and religious fervour at all the Churches around the city including Our lady of Pompei Church -Ladyhill, Church of Our Lady of Rosary – Rosario Cathedral, Milagres Church, Holy Cross Church – Kulshekar and many more.
“Monthi Fest”, also known as the Nativity of Our Lady or the birthday of our beloved Mother Mary, is a festivity celebrated by the Mangalorean Catholic community, as a harvest festival.
As a part of the festivity, the Catholic community members take the freshly grown paddy stalks to their respective churches in a procession as an offering of the first bounty of nature to Mother Mary. Special prayers are offered pleading the Holy Mother to keep the fertility of the nature for generations to come and provide all the bounties of nature to the children of the world.
It is a tradition in Mangalore for the families to gather together and share a vegetarian meal consisting of at least of 5 vegetarian dishes. The dishes, “alu-dento” and “vorn” are they must in every household. The grains taken form blessed paddy stalk or corn is added to the milk or “vorn” and offered to the members of the family in a symbolic gesture of thanksgiving for our Lady’s blessings.
The celebration started 9 days in advance with novena prayers offered to mother Mary, during the period children take special pride in offering flowers everyday to the deity.
Special early processions and masses, feasts, religious ceremonies and a series of festivities in churches, parishes and at homes mark the day.
History
Monthi Fest” has its origin in Farangipet in the outskirts of Mangalore.As the history says, Fr. Joachin Miranda, a Goan Catholic priest of secular credentials, who lived around 250 years ago, started this practice on top of a hill, on the northern bank of the Nethravati river where lies an ancient place called Monte Moriano, 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.
