Patham Thiyathi Thirunal

THE FEAST OF ST. SEBASTIAN (PATHAM THIYATHI THIRUNAL)

The feast of St Sebastian is commemorated as Patham Thiyathi Thirunal, just because the feast of St Sebastian, 20 January, is the tenth day in the Julian calendar. When Moonnu Nombu falls very close to 20 January, the feast is postponed to the Saturday and Sunday prior to Lent.  The feast of St Sebastian is also known as “the Small Festival” just because Moonnu Nombu is the ‘Large Festival’.  A special feature of this feast is offering of darts, a miniature of the arrows which martyred St. Sebastian. These darts are taken out by the faithful individually or as a family, carry in procession either till the granite cross or jubilee chapel and encircling them return to the Minor church in a solemn and devotional manner. People irrespective of caste and  creed from far and wide places reach the foot of St Sebastian to offer darts for they firmly  believe  that  the  Saint  possesses   immense  miraculous  powers  to  protect  and safeguard people from  plague, epidemics, misery, suffering, penury and premature death.

Festival of Provinces (DesaThirunal)

The week before the feast of St. Sebastian    is  made more fervent, religious and devotional  through  celebrating  pompously  the  ‘DesaThirunal’  by  the  four  zones  in  the  parish.  During these days, people of different castes and creed after participating in Holy Mass carry home devotionally the darts of St Sebastian and piously mount them in their homes for his blessings.  The darts are taken out of the homes in the evening and are ceremoniously brought to the church in procession.

In connection with the DesaThirunal, the education institutes of the parish and the various taxi stands in the town also ceremoniously take out the darts of St. Sebastian in procession.