Monti Fest facts for kids
Monti Fest is a special Catholic festival celebrated every year on September 8th. It's mainly observed by Konkani-speaking Christians from the Konkan region of India and their families in places like Canara. This festival celebrates the birthday of Mother Mary, who is very important in the Christian faith. A key part of the celebration for Mangalorean Catholics is blessing Novem, which means new crops. In some Goan Catholic areas, the festival is also called "Moti Fest".
What Does "Monti Fest" Mean?
The name "Monti Fest" comes from a chapel in Old Goa called Capela de Nossa Senhora do Monte. This means "Chapel of Our Lady of the Mount" in Portuguese. This chapel was built in 1519 to honor Mother Mary. The feast day on September 8th became known as Monti Saibinichem Fest, which means "Feast of the Lady of the Mount" in Konkani.
Because flowers are a big part of the celebration, the festival is also called Fulanchem Fest, meaning "Feast of Flowers". Another similar festival, the Bandra Fair, is celebrated by the Bombay East Indian community around the same time.
How the Festival Started
A Konkani scholar named Pratap Naik explains how this festival connects to older traditions. In the Hindu calendar, after the month of Shravan, the month of Bhadrapad begins. On the fourth day of this month, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated. During this time, Hindu families gather, and they offer flowers to an idol of Ganesha. They also ceremoniously eat new corn.
When many Hindus in Goa became Christians, they learned to offer flowers to honor Monti Saibinn (Lady of the Mount) instead. This is how the Nativity feast, which celebrates Mary's birthday on September 8th around the world, became known as Monti Saibinichem Fest for Konkani Christians.
The Festival's Renewal
For a while, the celebrations of Monti Fest stopped in Mangalore. This was after a difficult time when many Mangalorean Catholics were held captive. However, in 1799, a man named Joachim Miranda helped bring the celebrations back to the Monte Mariano Church in Farangipet, Mangalore. Miranda was from Goa and knew about the festival there. This is why Goa is considered the original home of Monti Fest.
Even though Tipu Sultan destroyed many churches in the area, he spared the Monte Mariano Church. This was out of respect for the friendship between his father, Hyder Ali, and Miranda.
