Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai
Report by Ancy Paladka, Mumbai

Mumbai, Sept 5: Konkani Catholic Christians are mostly non-vegetarian. Hence they always have non-vegetarian cuisine for their feast. But there is one feast celebrated by Karnataka Konkani Catholics and Maharashtrian Konkani Catholics of Konkan area where they have only vegetarian dishes for the feast. That is the feast of the Nativity of our Lady or 'Monti Fest' as called by Konkani's.

People of both these communities celebrate this feast with much importance. The celebrations start nine days prior to the feast with the novena. All these days children collect flowers to honour Our Lady of Nativity. On the feast day i.e on September 8 everyone gather at the church for the solemn celebrations. People take their new crop and bless them at the church. The new vegetables taken are auctioned at the church. Then the new paddy with ripened grains are distributed to the people.

Then people go back to their homes. All family members gather together. First the rice is removed from the ripened grains, crushed  and mixed in the milk or in the jaggery mixed coconut water called 'roce' and distributed to everybody. Some people also mix it with 'vorn'. Prayers are said and all family members even who are abroad and could not make it for the celebration  are remembered. The expired members of the family are remembered in a special manner. Then everyone sit together and eat in the banana leaf. Some places one leaf is kept separate for the deceased members of the family. In some communities of Konkani Catholics especially the people who live at the sea coast also need fish for this feast by all means. For others it is a pure vegetarian meal. The first meal is held at the parent house and later in other houses of the relatives on the same day or in next few days.

Then the blessed paddy grains are sent to all the family members who could not make it for the family meal. These family members after receiving the blessed paddy grains from the parent house, gather in their current location along with their relatives and hold similar festival.

The speciality of this festival is that the feast is only celebrated by the people who are moved out of Goa during Portuguese rule and it is not celebrated at Goa. In fact this is a feast of farmers to bless their new crop. Hence the similar feast is celebrated in several communities of Hindus in the coastal region. Keralite have similar celebrations during their Onum. Thus it could be easily understood that the converted Christians in Goa Christensen their New Crop culture in the name of Monti Fest. But when Portuguese banned Hindu cultural celebrations and practices and speaking Konkani language these people fled to southern coast and northern coast where they continued their practices and their Konkani language. But because of Portuguese compulsions and the imposition of inquisition, people of Goa had to forgo these practices.

Mumbai is the second home for many Konkani people of coastal India. Since several decades people keep migrating to this commercial capital of India. Mumbaikar Konkani's have kept their spirit high in celebrating Monti Fest.

In yester years the Konkani movements in Mumbai are gathering momentum. Number of Konkani organisations have come up most of the parishes of Mumbai. Number of Konkani Catholics in Mumbai too is in a considerable numbers. The total Konkani crowd is much more than Konkani people in Mangalore Diocese.

Thus the Konkani organisations have started to celebrate Monti Fest in their parishes in a special manner in the month of September. This occasation is also for organising a Konkani cultural programme for the people. The celebrations in various parts of Mumbai and other cities of Maharashtra are scheduled as below.

Place: Mira Road East
Organised by: Konkani Welfare Association
Location: St. Joseph's Church
Date: Saturday, 8 September 2007
Time: 8.15 am
Special attraction: Paddy Blessing, Procession in Brassband, Solemn Mass.

Place: Andheri East
Organised by: Maharashtra Konkan Association
Location: Gyan Ashram
Date: Saturday, 8 September 2007
Time: 8.00 pm
Special attraction: Paddy Blessing, Solemn Mass, Cultural programme, Novem Jevonn.

Place: Jari Mari
Organised by: Konkan Taram
Location: St Jude Church
Date: Sunday, 9 September 2007
Time: 7.00 am
Special attraction: Paddy Blessing, Procession, Solemn Mass, Awards ceremony for Talented Children.

Place: Goregaon West
Organised by: Konkan Seva Mandal
Location: Our Lady of the Rosary church school hall
Date: Sunday, 9 September 2007
Time: 11.00 am
Special attraction: Paddy Blessing, Solemn Mass, Cultural programme, Novem Jevonn.

Place: Orlem, Malad West
Organised by: Mangalore Welfare Association
Location: Our Lady of Lourdes Church hall
Date: Sunday, 9 September 2007
Time: 11.00 am
Special attraction: Paddy Blessing, Solemn Mass, Konkani Play: Zanvyam Vor vor mhojem, Cultural programme, Novem Jevonn.

Place: Bhaynder West
Organised by: Bhyandear KOnkani Catholic Welfare Association
Location: Our Lady of Nazareth school hall
Date: Sunday, 9 September 2007
Time: 5.45 pm
Special attraction: Paddy Blessing, Solemn Mass, Procession, Konkani Telent Contest, Cultural programme, Novem Jevonn.

Place: Borivli West
Organised by: Canara Konkani Association
Location: I. C. Colony church
Date: Sunday, 9 September 2007
Time: 5.45 pm
Special attraction: Paddy Blessing, Procession, Solemn Mass, Cultural programme, Novem Jevonn

Place: Pune
Organised by: Mangalorean Catholic Association
Location: Our Lady Consoller of the Afflicted, Pimpri
Date: Sunday, 16 September 2007
Time: 9.00 am
Special attraction: Paddy Blessing, Solemn Mass, Cultural programme, Play: MOdern Soirik, Novem Jevonn

Place: FORT, Mumbai
Organised by: Mangalorean Catholic Association
Location: Crawford Market, VT
Date: Saturday, 22 September 2007
Time: 7.30 pm
Special attraction: Novem Jevonn