Amchea Ghorabean Saibinnichim Bhet, visit of Our Lady to our homes, Benaulim, Goa, Sep 9, 2023

Every September 9, after the birthday of Our Lady, she moves from the church on a pilgrimage to homes of the faithful in each parish of Goa

In small areas like ours, Our Lady travels to each home from September 9 till the end of October

But in larger areas, her pilgrimage can extend into late November

Though this is a Roman Catholic tradition, in some places in Goa, even Hindu families open their home to Our Lady on her pilgrimage

In our corner of Pulvaddo in Benaulim, South Goa, both Catholic and Hindu villagers accompany Our Lady on her pilgrimage through the homes of neighbours

The rest of the year, we pray the Rosary ourselves in the evening. During Our Lady's pilgrimage, we all pray together in each other's homes

For two years, the Covid-19 pandemic limited the number of neighbours who could participate each evening

However, this year, we were all able to accompany Our Lady from home to home

Whoever’s house is being visited by Our Lady on the day, warmly welcomes everybody else for the communal prayers

Together we ask Our Lady to pray for us, and carry our prayers to her Son

After the prayers, the host distributes snacks and cold drinks to all the participants

Traditionally, boiled gram with slivers of fresh coconut were distributed. Nowadays, people mostly serve snacks

Close relatives and friends elsewhere, within and beyond Goa, make it a point to travel home for Our Lady’s visit

After prayers, family and friends join for a meal together in praise and love of Our Lady's visit in their house