Goa, May 2 -- The courtyard of the Mae de Deus Chapel in Gaunsavaddo-Siolim was graced by a moving and deeply symbolic ceremony on May 1 at 5:00 PM, as part of a unique Goan tradition marking the start of the Marian month. Continuing a ritual that dates back to 1944, Joanna Fernandes, a maiden from the ward and prospective bride, had the honor of crowning the life-size statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

Dressed in her wedding gown and accompanied by a troupe of maids also clad in white, Joanna crowned the statue with a garland of white roses in a poignant display of devotion. This bridal procession, however, was not headed to a wedding ceremony-no groom awaited at the chapel. Instead, the group gathered to uphold a spiritual tradition passed ...