I was one of over three million people descending upon the small (5,000 residents) southern Tamil Nadu town of Velankanni during the nine day festival which just ended on Sept. 8. People from all over India and elsewhere travel by train, plane, boat, car, and foot to reach this famed place called the “Lourdes of the East.”
During the nine day festival which culminates on Sept 8 - the day of Mary’s birth and also the date when the sailors were saved from the storm - various forms of worship such as Holy Mass, blessings of the sick, and prayers & meditation occur in the basilica and chapels. Depending on the time of day, visitors can hear services in one of nine languages of India, including English.
Mary is reported to have made several appearances in this area. Around 1560, she first appeared to a Hindu milk boy (whose pot of milk overflowed after giving some go the infant Jesus) , then to a lame boy selling buttermilk (who was healed), and then to save Portuguese sailors from a dreadful cyclonic storm. Chapels were then built on these sites and were subsequently expanded.
Visiting Velankanni during the eight-day festival or other special occasions such as Christmas is not for the faint-hearted. It is chaotic, crowded, intense, color - in other words - so India.
More to come!
More to come!
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