CH NEWS, Udupi
Members of the Catholic community in the coastal region have urged the Karnataka government to declare September 8 a public holiday on the occasion of Monti Fest, also known as the harvest festival or Thene Habba.
A delegation led by Legislative Council member Ivan D’Souza met Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Udupi district in-charge Minister Rizwan Arshad and submitted a memorandum seeking the holiday. The delegation included representatives of Catholic Sabha from the Mangaluru and Udupi regions.
According to the delegation, September 8 is celebrated by Christian families across the coastal region as the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The festival is also associated with the traditional harvest celebration, during which newly harvested crops are offered during religious ceremonies and families come together for prayers and a shared meal.
The community representatives said the festival has been celebrated in the coastal region for generations and has significant cultural as well as religious importance. Special prayers and novenas are held for several days leading up to the festival, while churches conduct various religious programmes on September 8.
The delegation pointed out that the state government has in recent years treated the occasion as a restricted holiday, with the benefit largely limited to teachers. They argued that the festival is celebrated widely across the coastal districts and should therefore be recognised with a public holiday.
The representatives requested that the government declare September 8 a public holiday across Karnataka. If a statewide holiday is not possible, they sought a public holiday specifically for Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, where the festival is celebrated on a large scale.
Catholic Sabha Mangaluru president Santosh D’Souza, political convenor Stany Lobo, Udupi president Melvin Aranha Shirva, Udupi zone president Kiran Lewis and other members were part of the delegation.
The community has expressed hope that the government will consider the request and issue a favourable decision before the festival.
