Kachchathivu Festival

 According to P. Raju of Anuradhapuram's Thambuthegam neighborhood, "his business has suffered a huge loss due to Indian devotees' non-attendance at this year's festival of St. Anthony's Church in Kachchadhivu."

He has been hawking fragrant detergents to draw Indian devotees to the Kachchathivu Anthony Church celebration for the previous five years. Raju claims that the lack of Indian devotees at this year's event has hurt his company.

"I trust Indians to sell and bring in fragranced detergents." I arrived hoping they would come to the festival this year. But that was not the case. I have lost almost thirty thousand rupees as a result. "It is very difficult to compensate for this in the midst of the economic crisis in our country," Raju said.

Similar to Raju, Jeni, a Mannar mother of three, has been selling Antonia's cover art at this event for the past 20 years with her husband.

"This year, due to the non-arrival of Indian pilgrims, half of the business has decreased," he stated.

According to Jeni, only one lakh worth of commerce was completed at this year's festival compared to three lakhs during the previous year.

During the Anthony church festival in Kachadivu this year, many Sri Lankans, much like them, were involved in shop trading. But it turned out that they've all lost money on their businesses.

Kachchadivu has ties to both India and Sri Lanka. This requires a three to four-hour sea voyage from Kangesanthurai port.

The Sri Lankan Navy is responsible for maintaining this island, which is roughly 150 acres in size. This island, Jaffna, is home to St. Anthony's Church. The District Bishop is in charge of overseeing the parish. The Sri Lanka Navy assists in holding this church's annual event.

Specifically, the church festival in conflict zones and locations where coronavirus is spreading

It is significant that a certain number of devotees participated in this.

Because of this, this year's celebration began on Friday, February 23, 2024, with the raising of the flag, and concluded on Saturday, February 24, 2024, with mass.

Jaffna. At this festival, which was led by the district's chief priest, Reverend PJ Jeparatnam, around 3,500 Sri Lankan devotees took part.

Regardless of caste, religion, or language, followers attended masses in Tamil, Sinhala, and English. It was also observed that some foreign nationals were taking part in the festivities.

In the meantime, Vice Admiral Saman Ekanayake, the commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, and

Jaffna, beloved Perera. Several others, including the district secretary, took part in this celebration.

It is noteworthy, nevertheless, that Indian devotees did not take part in this celebration for the first time ever.

Due to continuing fishing disputes between Indian and Sri Lankan fishermen, Indian pilgrims did not attend.

A few weeks back, some Indian fishermen were detained in Sri Lanka on suspicion of fishing illegally in the country's waters.

The Sri Lankan authorities denied the Indian fishermen's request to be freed.

Indian fishermen opted to abstain from this event as a result. As a result, devotees from India were unable to take part in this historic festival for the first time.

"Thus, this year's festival was not the same as Purunalam," he stated. remarked L. Johnson from Gurunagar.

He added that it is concerning that our Indians with umbilical cords are not taking part in this year's celebration.

The method which Indian pilgrims hoist the flag is different. That is how they will preach better, according to Johnson. He hoped that followers of Indian culture would undoubtedly attend the celebration the following year.

During this Kachchathivu holiday, a few Muslim families from the Mannar area also traveled to meet their relatives in India. However it was noted that the lack of Indian believers made them quite nervous when they got home.

Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, the commander of the Navy, stated in the interim, "We cannot accept the justification of the Indian fishermen that they have ignored the Kachchathivu festival due to the arrest of the Indian fisherman."

The Naval Commander gave the media more remarks regarding the triumphant conclusion of this year's celebration, saying,

"It is well known to all that Indian fishermen have long engaged in illegal fishing operations within Sri Lankan waters.

The Navy will apprehend Indian fishermen who venture into Sri Lankan territorial seas. In accordance with Sri Lankan legislation, we are addressing the matter of Indian fishermen. This isn't political in any way.

This is not a problem that can be fixed quickly. To put a stop to this, the fisheries departments of both nations are working extremely hard. To find a long-term solution to this problem, the fisheries departments of the two nations should collaborate.

Before the festival the following year, I hope a reasonable resolution may be achieved. Sri Lanka's national reconciliation is exemplified at the St. Anthony's festival in Kachathivu.

I'm glad that everyone in the nation took part in the celebration as fellow Sri Lankans, regardless of racial, religious, or linguistic distinctions.

I want to express my gratitude to everyone who helped make St. Anthony's Church, Kachchadivu,'s historic annual festival a great success. According to him, this festival represents a bridge connecting Sri Lanka and India.

This year's St. Anthony's Church yearly event was expertly planned by Naval Commander Jaffna in Kachchadivu. sri lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe would like to thank the District Secretary and their officials, according to Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake.

The president's secretary stated that devotees from India should attend this festival as well, but he was unable to comment on the fishermen who are being detained and held in jail at the moment.

Indian devotees are invited to Sri Lanka to attend St. Anthony's Church in Kachchadivu's upcoming celebration. As a result, followers of India should make an effort to put the fishermen's issues behind them and attend the next celebration.