VIJAYAWADA: The three-day annual Mary Matha festival began on a grand note at the Gunadala hill shrine in Vijayawada on Sunday. The celebrations began with Bishop of Vijayawada Diocese Rev T Joseph Raja Rao offering prayers for the well-being of the state and the country. He lit a lamp after which the huge premises of the Bishop Grassi High School witnessed the holy mass.
Amidst the choirs singing carols, devotees prayed for their loved ones. Devotees from various parts of Andhra Pradesh have been thronging the church during the celebrations for more than 10 decades. “This place is one of the most holiest ones in the country. I come here with my family every year to pray for our well-being and seek forgiveness for our wrong-doings that might have happened unintentionally,” said G Varalakhsmi from Kurnool.
After the morning celebrations, the devotees took out a procession from Gunadala, which was followed by various cultural programmes and most of them re-enacted the birth of Jesus Christ. Meanwhile, special services were operated by the APSRTC to pick the devotees from railway station and PNBS. Some passengers trains were halted for a minute at Gunadala and Ramvarapadu railway stations.