Mount Mary Festival - Bandra Fair 2009

It’s that time of the year in Bandra when the festivities take over and make Bandra a colourful place. Khar, Bandra and Santacruz are home of many from varied communities and religions and all festivals like Ganesh Festival, Rmzan, Mount Mary Festival are celebrated with equal enthusiasm.

Mount Mary is an old church situated in Bandra. Bandra Fair is a week long fair held annually in the Bandra suburb of Mumbai, starting on the following Sunday after September 8. It is celebrated to commemorate the Nativity of Mary, mother of Jesus, on September 8. People from all faiths throng to seek her blessing. The streets take on a carnival-like atmosphere, with shops and mini-bazaars offering everything from food, shopping opportunities and joyrides. Street plays, musical concerts, book readings and food festivals (typically Goan) also become a part of the celebrations.

The Bandra Fair is estimated to be around 300 years old. The fair started when a statue of Mother Mary was found floating in the Arabian Sea between 1700 and 1760, which, according to a legend, a Koli fisherman had dreamt about a few years earlier.

Photos from the last Bandra Mount Mary Festival MountMary Bandra, Bandra Fair 2008 Photos.

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Bandra Fair 2008 started on 9th September and will continue till 15th September. Thousands of people visit Mount Mary Church and offer their prayers. Here are some phtos of Bandra fair 2008

   Chana and sweets stalls

   Steps at Mount Mary Bandra leading to Church

   In the Church

   Food Stalls

   On way to the Bandra Fair

Leena

The Mount Mary Bandra Novena started on 5^th September (for details look here)and is currently on. The church and the area around the church is looking beautiful. Here are some photos:

Mother Mary’s Statue, Mount Mary Bandra

Lovely Colourful Candles

More candles in different shapes

Candles at the gate of Mount Mary Bandra

Watch this space for more….

More Blogs on Mount Mary Novena and Bandra Fair

Mount Mary Novena time table: Click Here

Bandra Fair 2008: Click here

The Mount Mary Church announced the program for Novena at the Mount Mary Church. The Novena will be from the 8^th of September to the 14^th of September.

September 05^th, Friday to September 13^th, Saturday

Morning Masses: 5.30, 6.15, 7.00, 7.45, 8.30 (AM)

Evening Masses: 5.30, 6.30, 7.30 (PM)

September 07^th, Sunday and September 08^th, Monday

Morning Masses: 5.30, 6.15, 7.00, 7.45, 8.30, 9.15, 10.00 (AM)

Evening Masses: 5.30, 6.30, 7.30 (PM)

September 8^th,10.00 am: Special Mass by Fr Agnelo Gracious and later feast

September 14^th, Sunday and September 21^st, Sunday

Morning Masses: 5.30, 6.15, 7.00, 7.45, 8.30, 9.15, 10.00, 10.45 (AM)
Main Mass: 11.30 AM : Feast Mass by Oswal Cardinal gracious.
Last Mass: 12.30 PM (Afternoon)
Evening Masses: No Evening Mass

September 15^th,10.45 am: Special Mass for the sick and aged by Bishop Bosco Penha.

Read about Bandra Fair 2008

For those wanting to know about Novena, Novena is the feminine form of the Medieval Latin word, novenus, “ninth”, which is the ordinal number from novem, nine. In the Catholic Church, a novena is a devotion consisting of prayer said on nine successive days, asking to obtain special graces.

As per the Catholic encyclopedia (refer http://www.newadvent.org) the Novena is “A nine days’ private or public devotion in the Catholic Church to obtain special graces. The

Its that time of year in Bandra when the festivities take over and make Bandra a colourful place. Bandra, Khar and Santacruz are such a huge melting pot of varied communities and religions and all festivals are celebrated with equal enthusiasm.

Bandra Fair is one of the biggest such festivals (or maybe an event) that gets celebrated in Bandra. Every September this feast of Mount Mary or Bandra Fair is celebrated on the Sunday after 8^th September, the birthday of the Virgin Mary. Bandra Fair is a week long celebration that is visited by thousands of Christians and non-Christians. This year the Bandra Fair 2008 is being celebrated from September 14^th to 21^st.

The Bandra Fair involves the prayer at The Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, more commonly known as Mount Mary Church. The Mount Mary Church stands impressively on a hillock about 80 odd meters above the sea level overlooking the sea. It’s a beautiful sight and it draws lakhs of devotees annually. Many faithful attest to the miraculous powers of the Mount and you find the faithful lighting candles and saying a silent prayer almost everyday. During the Bandra Fair, tens of thousands visit the shrine. The best part is that shrine attracts people from all faiths who pray to the statue for thanksgiving or requesting of favours. Bollywood movies have had their share of Mount Mary Church as a place for prayer and reunion of lost brothers or families in true bollywood istyle.

During the Bandra Fair, the entire area is decorated with festoons and buntings. Stalls selling religious objects, Candles, roasted grams, fast food and sweet items are set up along the road leading to Mount Mary Church.

This year like always the celebrations for Bandra Fair 2008 would be big. We just hope that the celebrations are arranged as well as they are always done and special care is taken to ensure security to all the devotees who come for the Bandra Fair 2008. Residents near Mount Mary Church in Bandra have expressed reservation over cooking on roadside and digging that is normally carried out in preparation of the Bandra Fair. At a meeting with the ward officers last week, they raised the issues concerning the festival. “Residents live in constant fear because of the cooking in case any accident occurs. We would be the worst sufferers,” said Lillian Pais, member of the Saint John Baptist Road Advanced Locality Management (ALM).

“We have just managed to get our road repaired after putting in a lot of effort,” said Maria D’Souza, member of Mount Mary Road ALM. “It is paver blocked. They should try to manage the crowd with drums.”

“We will not allow any cooking on the roads. Even stalls that sell nuts will be given a separate place,” said deputy municipal commissioner Arvind Hire. “We will not discount on the security of devotees, especially after the incidents at other religious places. However, we will ensure that minimum damage is done to the roads.”

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Proactive Citizens of Bandra, Khar and Santacruz

List of Colleges in and Around Bandra

Emergency Numbers in and around Bandra