Koratty Muthy’s Feast

Koratty Muthy’s Feast is one of the most important festival of Kerala that brings the all the people of the country from all backgrounds more closely. The feast, the most important event at the St. Mary’s Church here, is attended by hundreds of devotees. Apart from the devotional rites, there is an awe-inspiring pageantry as part of the feast.Korattymuthy is the locally known name of Hail Mary or Mother Mary of Syro-Malabar Catholic community at Koratty in Kerala. This Korattymuthy’s Shrine is famous for its annual feast with ‘Poovankula‘ which is a special plantain, while doing Muttilizhayal or walking on knee and do the offerings. Korattymuthy is also known as Our Lady with Poovan Bananas. Every year, The Lady’s Feast is celebrated in the month of October – Saturday and Sunday following the 10th of October, with great pomp and show

Koratty Muthy’s Festival

Millions of devotee’s throng to this Marian Apparition of India every year. Many a miracle is attributed to Our Lady at this Shrine. The ill and the infirm and the distressed damsels who yearn for their partners in life, the parents who long for a child – flock to this shrine to seek solace. The millions who throng to this place are testimony to the benevolence of the Mother.

Some legendary story says, years back, a pilgrim hailing from Meloor was carrying a basket of Poovan Bananas as an offering to the Koratty Muthy. On the way, he had to pass through a paddy filed, where a rich landlord was getting some work done through his laborers. On seeing the Basket of bananas, he ordered the pilgrim to hand him two bananas.The pilgrim told him that, it was not possible, as it was an offering to be placed before the Koratty Mutthy. This irked the landlord and he forcibly took out two bananas from the basket and ate it. No sooner that he had eaten the bananas, the landlord started writhing with intense pain in his stomach. Medicines could not cure the pain and at last the landlord realized that it had been some divine intervention and he immediately gave away half of the paddy field where he was getting the work done, as an offering to the Koratty Muthy. The moment he did this, the pain subsided. Since that day, pilgrims throng from all parts of the hamlet with Poovan Bananas as an offering for the Koratty Muthy. And from this incident the shrine got its name.

Bishops, Priests, Nuns and people from every caste and creed from different parts of the Country attend the feast and seek Mother’s Blessings.The Offerings include cash, candles and other valuables.The Holy Mass is followed by an awe-inspiring pageantry