Catholic Sabha Appeals to CM for September 8 Holiday for Monti Fest
Udupi: September 8, the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a significant day for the Christian community. Christians in the coastal region celebrate the traditional Monti Fest, or Harvest Festival, on this day. In this connection, office-bearers of the Catholic Sabha Mangaluru and Udupi Pradesh, led by Legislative Council Member Ivan D’Souza, met Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Udupi District In-charge Minister Rizwan Arshad and submitted a memorandum seeking a government holiday on September 8.
The memorandum stated that a large number of Christians in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada are engaged in the fields of education and healthcare. Many members of the Christian community are also involved in agriculture. As part of the festival, farmers offer the first harvest of their crops to God, attend special prayers in churches and celebrate with a family feast.
Popularly known as “Kural Parba” or “Family Festival,” Monti Fest is celebrated every year on September 8.
In recent years, the state government has declared the day a Restricted Holiday (R.H.), which applies only to teachers. However, the festival is celebrated on a large scale across the coastal region and is observed as an important regional festival.
Special novena prayers are held in preparation for the feast, during which flowers from gardens are offered to Mother Mary. The distribution of special sugarcane associated with the festival is also one of its distinctive traditions.
Various religious programmes are conducted on September 8 in the dioceses of Mangaluru, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru. The Catholic Sabha and other Christian organisations have already submitted representations to the Chief Minister and the Dakshina Kannada District In-charge Minister seeking a statewide public holiday on September 8.
If a statewide holiday cannot be declared, the Christian community has requested that Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts be granted a public holiday.
The memorandum urged the government to declare September 8 a government holiday in view of the festival’s importance to the Christian community in the coastal region.
Responding positively to the appeal, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said he would issue appropriate directions to the concerned Deputy Commissioners. He also instructed the delegation to submit the memorandum to the respective district in-charge ministers.
The delegation included Catholic Sabha Mangaluru President Santosh D’Souza, Political Convener Stany Lobo, Udupi President Melvin Aranha Shirva, Udupi Zone President Kiran Lewis and others.
