6 days ago
Bandra Mount Mary Feast Dates Announced Amid Community Demands
The Mount Mary Feast is a major religious celebration in Bandra, Mumbai.
In 2026, special prayers called a novena will happen from September 4 to 12.
The main feast day will be September 13.
More celebrations and a fair will continue until September 20.
The fair will have food, music, rides and many stalls.
Some families have sold goods at the festival for many years.
They are unhappy because stalls are now assigned through online bidding.
The Mobai Gaothan Panchayat wants more stalls and more use of Marathi and East Indian traditions.
The Basilica says the new stall system is already finalized and will continue.
The Mount Mary novena will run from September 4 to 12, 2026, followed by the feast day on September 13.
Services will be held in English, Hindi, Konkani, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati and Malayalam.
The octave and Bandra fair will continue from September 13 to 20, featuring food, rides, music and hundreds of stalls.
Traditional vendors oppose the church’s online stall-bidding system and seek reservations for East Indian families.
The Mobai Gaothan Panchayat also wants greater prominence for Marathi and East Indian traditions, while the Basilica says the allocation system will continue.
- Who
- The Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount, traditional vendors, and the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat are central to the announcement and dispute.
- What
- The 2026 Mount Mary novena, feast, octave and Bandra fair dates were announced alongside demands concerning stalls, language and East Indian traditions.
- Where
- The celebrations will take place at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount and along roads leading to the Mount Mary steps in Bandra, Mumbai.
- When
- The novena is scheduled for September 4–12, the feast day for September 13, and the octave and fair for September 13–20, 2026.
- Why
- The festival is being organized as an annual religious celebration, while community groups are seeking to preserve traditional East Indian participation and customs.
Traditional Vendors and East Indian Community
Basilica Administration
Stall allocation
Traditional Vendors and East Indian Community
Traditional vendors and the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat want priority or reservations for families and native Roman Catholics who have long participated in the festival.
Basilica Administration
The Basilica says the online allocation process is complete, clear and will continue.
Festival identity
Traditional Vendors and East Indian Community
The Mobai Gaothan Panchayat says the fair is a traditional East Indian village festival and wants priority for East Indian handicrafts, food and merchandise.
Basilica Administration
The Basilica has not agreed to change the finalized allocation process; the article does not report a separate response on the broader cultural requests.
Language and worship
Traditional Vendors and East Indian Community
The Mobai Gaothan Panchayat wants the East Indian hymn "Devache Mae" used at octave masses and an East Indian Marathi mass after its procession.
Basilica Administration
The article reports that the Basilica has ruled out changes to stall allocation but does not state its response to the language and hymn requests.
Key facts
- Novena
- September 4–12, 2026
- Feast day
- September 13, 2026
- Octave
- September 13–20, 2026
- Fair dates
- September 13–20, 2026
- Church-path stalls
- About 130 stalls, with another 20 reserved for nuns and clergy
- Municipal stalls
- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation separately auctions more than 400 stalls on four roads
- Languages
- English, Hindi, Konkani, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati and Malayalam
Quotes
Deacon Navin D'Silva
Deacon of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Mount
“Vandar Cha Sann is not just a fair, it is our traditional village festival. The indigenous people founded it, but today we have no priority in our own festival. We are not against anyone, but we are demanding our rightful share and respect for our state language Marathi and our East Indian dialect.”
freepressjournal.in
“Unfortunately, many who bid for slots have no experience in the business. They sublet the stall for more money.”
freepressjournal.in
Sources
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