Velankanni Festival, which is also known as the ‘feast of feast’ in South India, has begun by expecting more than 20 lakh of faithful for the 11days feast, this year. The flag for the festival was hosted by Thanjavur Bishop His Excellency Devadas Ambrose. The Holy Mass will be celebrated in various languages which include Tamil, Malayalam, English, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi and Konkani, for these 11 days.
Various facilities have been arranged for the pilgrims for their convenience and the coordinators of the fest under the guidance of Nagapattinam District Collector Dr. Suresh Kumar, have arranged clean water, sanitation, electricity and transportation for the faithful. As reported by pravachakasabdam, Dr. Suresh asserted that “The pilgrims from various states have been in the process of preventing the spread of epidemics through drinking water and so special attentions are given in such matters in order to take good care of the pilgrims who arrives.”
The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation has announced special services from different parts of the country and there will be special trains from Ernakulum, Nagarcoil, Bandra, Tirunelveli and Chennai, Southern Railway has also announced a special train from Vasco Da Gama to Velankanni. The celebration will end on the day of the Feast, which is also known as the Feast of the Nativity of Mary and is also commemorated as the Feast of Our Lady of Good Health, on September 8, of every year.
Source: www.pravachakasabdam.com
