The annual feast of the Shrine of Our Lady of Madhu in Mannar is being celebrated on Saturday, with Holy Mass beginning at 6:00 a.m. and a large number of devotees taking part, NewsFirst reported.
The festival is centred on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is held every year on August 15.
A shrine associated with reconciliation
The Madhu shrine is regarded as a symbol of peace and reconciliation between the North and the South. It draws pilgrims from across Sri Lanka’s Catholic community and from both Tamil and Sinhala congregations, and the August feast is the largest gathering in its calendar.
The shrine sits in the Mannar district in the Northern Province, in an area that was heavily affected during the civil conflict. Its annual feast has since become one of the most widely attended religious events in the north.
NewsFirst did not give a crowd estimate for this year’s celebration or report on the arrangements made for pilgrims travelling to the site.
