|
|
|
|
South India Holiday Tours
GOA TOURS Carnivals & Festivals St Francis Day in Goa,St Francis Day in Goa IndiaSt Francis Day in Goa|St Francis Day in Goa India
Location: Throughout Goa
Centre Of Celebration: The Church Of Bom Jesus
Day Of Celebration: 3rd December
The body of St Francis Xavier lies in a silver casket in the Church of Bom Jesus in Goa. Ceremonies to honor his death are performed on December 3, the day he was buried. st francis day in goa india, festival of st francis xavier, festivities of goa, church of bom jesus, christian festival in goa, festivals of goa St Xavier was a great Catholic missionary, who preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Asia.
Born in Spain on April 7, 1506, he came to India with the Portuguese Viceroy of Goa in 1543, and immediately undertook the task of influencing the Goan people. He went from street to street with a hired town crier, asking people to attend his meetings and listen to his sermons. st francis day in goa india, festival of st francis xavier, festivities of goa, church of bom jesus, christian festival in goa, festivals of goa Though he did not master the local language, he took the help of Goan scholars and translated the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Ave Maria.
He baptized the inhabitants of 30 villages. Xavier commanded awesome political power. He was able to secure pensions, even for the petty princes who converted to Christianity, from the King of Portugal.
To spread the message of Christ, he sailed to the Spice Islands in 1545, and then went on to Japan in 1549 for a year. His greatest success is recorded in Japan, where he converted hundreds to Christianity. After returning to India for a brief 15months, he proceeded to China, against the wishes of the Portuguese viceroy. It was in the Sancian Island, about 10-km from the mainland of China that he died of fever on December 2, 1552.
Legend
According to legend, some Portuguese merchants found him just before he breathed his last. They performed his last rites on the following day, and buried him in a box partly filled with unslaked lime. st francis day in goa india, festival of st francis xavier, festivities of goa, church of bom jesus, christian festival in goa, festivals of goa A few months later, a Jesuit brother disinterred the body and discovered, to his surprise, that it had not decomposed at all. He cut a finger from the body and was astonished to see blood ooze out. When this was reported to the Vatican, the title of Saint was conferred upon Xavier.
The body was interred in a cemetery in Malacca for about two years before it was brought to its final resting place in Goa. Until then, even though the body had not been anointed, it was found to be only slightly affected by death. Before the mortal remains of the saint were placed in a silver casket in the Church of Bom Jesus, one hand was cut off from the body.
The Healing Power
Pieces of the hand were distributed to various parts of the world, under orders of the Pope. Every ten years until 1994, on the anniversary of his death, St Xavier's body would be brought out and kept in a glass case, with the feet exposed, for all to see and worship. For the exposition, people from all over India would flock to the church for a glimpse of the saint.
The last exposition was held in 1994. Since the condition of the body had deteriorated visibly, it was decided by the church that the body would not be displayed anymore. There are many stalls selling trinkets and souvenirs in the fair that is held on the occasion. A wide variety of food and drinks are also available. The pilgrimage turns into a picnic for quite a few families, as they shop in the little lanes decorated with streamers. The ambience of the church site is happy and festive.
Month: francis Xavier Day Various ceremonies are performed on the 3rd of December each year in the Church of Bom Jesus in Goa.
Description:Saint Xavier was born in Spain in 1506 and reached India with the Portuguese viceroy of Goa in 1543. .
He took upon the supreme duty of spreading the message of the Lord to the people of Goa and influencing them by reading scriptures and preaching sermons. He went from street to street, house to house to conduct meetings.
He however, did not master the local language but was successful in translating the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer with the help of the Goan scholars.
His missionary activities were not just restricted to India and to the Goans. He traveled to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Indonesia, Malacca and Japan.
He commanded immense respect from the people whom he visited. He achieved tremendous success in converting hundreds of people to Christianity especially in Japan.
It was in China in the island of Sancian that he died on December 2, 1552.
It is believed that when a Jesuit brother discovered the body of Francis Xavier, he found that the body had not decomposed at all and infact blood oozed out when he cut a finger from the body. On reporting this incident to the Vatican, the title of saint was conferred uponFrancis Xavier.
The body of St Francis Xavier was kept in Malacca for two years before being brought to Goa. Before placing the mortal remains in a sliver casket in the Church of Bom Jesus in Goa, one hand of the saint was cut off.
Under the orders from the Pope, the pieces of the hand were distributed to various parts of the world.
His death anniversary is celebrated each year on 3rd December and every 10 years his body was taken out in a glass case with feet exposed for the people to show respect and worship.
The devotees believed that he had tremendous healing powers and therefore many people carried wax models of the parts of the body that was in pain and offered to the saint.
However, the body gradually showed signs of decay and so the authorities decided not to display the body anymore after the last exposition in 1994. (DOU 20082007)
| Carnivals & Festivals | |
| Hindu Festivals | Christian Festivals |
| St. Francis Day | Good Friday/ Easter |
| Food & Cultural Festival Of Goa | Shigmotsav |
| GOA TOURS | |
| About Goa | Cities in Goa |
| Goa History | Festivals in Goa |
| Hotels in Goa | Goa Tourist Places |
| Temples in Goa | Travel to Goa |
| Wildlife Sanctuaries | Religious Places Goa |
| Monuments & Museums in Goa | Goa Beaches |
| Goa Fairs & Festivals | Goa Tour Packages |
| Goan Food | Entertainment in Goa |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
 |