Goa, Sept. 12 -- Janet Mascarenhas

Wearing festive attire and accompanied by the salty, cool sea breeze, locals in Calangute walk in procession along the shore following the annual Feast Mass of Our Lady of Vailankanni. The statue of Our Lady of Vailankanni is carried in the procession, followed by prayers at the shore and the traditional blessing of the sea by the priest. The devotion seen along Calangute's shore is part of a much wider connection between Goa and the coastal pilgrimage town of Velankanni in Tamil Nadu. For generations, Goans have shared a deep bond with the town-a bond rooted in faith, devotion, hope and profound reverence for Our Lady of Vailankanni, transcending borders. Every year, thousands of people from across the...