Origins of celebrations of feast of Nativity BVM The ancestral Marian feast seem to have originated in 6th century.It was a feast of dedication of church to Mary, now known as St Anne in Jerusalem.It was believed to be the dwelling of Joaquim and Anne where Mary was born.Pope Sergius in the 8 the century celebrated as the third feast of nativity of baby Mary along with that of Jesus and St John.The primary event in the life of Mary is Annunciation.In the 10 th century , street of Santa Sofia in Milan a Cathedral was dedicated to baby Mary 20.10.1572. by Saint Charles Borromeo and entrusted the popularization of the celebrations to Sisters of Charity Bartolomea and Vincenze. Sr.Chiara Isabella was passionate about Nativity and made wax statues swaddled in cloth between 1720..1730.It was in 1739 that Capuchin sisters of BVM of Angels in Milan gave a popular boost to the devotion. Presently the feast is celebrated in many Catholic churches in Goa and India. O.L.Valankani at Tamil Nadu draws yearly over 20 millions of diverse faith seek the blessings , who throng to the miraculous site on 8 Sept.at famous pilgrimage centre and year round.At Bandra in Mumbai ( Bombay) is another popular site for celebrations of Nativity of Mary.In South Goa, Chinchinim , O.L.Hope ( Mount Mary) the main feast is a big draw also to the faithful of surrounding villages on 8 Sept. not for any miraculous reasons . The fairs spread over a week at Bandra , Chinchinimm which is an attractive feature.Many other churches in the state celebrated Nativity of Mary. Fr Nelson Lobo ,OFM has given insight into celebrations in Mangalore. During the period of Portuguese inquisition 1510 there was exodus of natives to North and South Kanara to avoid persecution and conversions and those took roots there...Alphonso Alburqueque in 1519 dedicated a Chapel to Nosa Senhora de Monte. The Franciscan priests in 1526 began a devotion to baby Mary at Faringipet.Fr. Joaquim Miranda ,a Goan priest started the celebrations in 1763.The reign of terror and persecution of Tipu Sultan derailed the Christian movement for 15 long years.Fortunately it was restarted with vigour in 1784 and continues to date. The traditions and customs got absorbed and adopted as the part of celebrations. Fruits vegetables were offered as gifts of nature along with first grain of corn .Due to inculturisations the meals ,deserts were purely vegetarian There is no definite source of origin of celebrations of Nativity of BVM and whether it was originated in Mangalore or Goa. The devotion and celebration by Christian community is all that matters. Nelson Lopes Chinchinim https://lopesnelsonnat.wordpress.com
Nelson Lopes Chinchinim https://lopesnelsonnat.wordpress.com