The 4th Sunday of the season of the Lent

The Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, however we start with Shrove Tuesday, the day precedes Ash Wednesday. We call it as 'Saambal Thirunal'. It is a special day when the village collects ashes from different houses and mixes them with gallons of water. Once that is ready people start splashing it on or pouring it on each other. It is a custom that the first cousins play among themselves with a sense of right. It could be very similar to the holi celebration in North India.

As we mentioned above the Lent is observed with reverence. The 4th Sunday of the Lent becomes a central part of the whole village. The vital part of the day is the Corpus Christi that is the procession of the Sacred Body and Blood of Christ through the entire village. It is devotedly participated by the faithful. We believe that Jesus visits each and everyone of our house on this occasion.

We also need to highlight one other import fact. There are numerous Lamentations (Thavakala Paadalgal) composed by the elders of the village who had seen the hardships of life. They are used in the Corpus Christi and are sung in families at night before they retire for the day. We could hear these lamentations during the 41 days of the lent. However this practice is on the decline which is a pain in our heart.

The Lent culminates on the day of Easter Sunday. It is the Day of Life for each and every Christian,  for Christianity begins from this day. Midnight mass and the holy water are the most important features of Easter for us. At 4 O'clock in the evening the car procession for the Risen Lord begins. It is the time of grace for the entire village. We proclaim the Good News to the entire world that the Lord is Risen, Alleluia.