Mary the mother of Jesus is (to put it mildly) an important figure in Christianity, and is respected by most Christians due to her status as the mother of Christ. Roman Catholics, as well as Eastern Orthodox Christians, hold her in especially high esteem, viewing her as a surrogate mother for all Christians; they also believe she has the ear of her Son and can request things of Him on our behalf --- hence the plea in the prayer "Hail Mary", "ora pro nobis peccatoribus", or, "pray for us sinners" (a bit, or more, of my Catholic school upbringing and 4 years of Latin showing through, ha).
Mary is called by a number of titles, many of them "Our Lady of --" whatever town, village, city, or county that Mary is believed to have appeared in, such as Guadalupe, Mexico; Fatima, Portugal; or Lourdes, France. One such example, Our Lady of Meritxell, is also celebrated as a national holiday in the Principality of Andorra.
Our Lady of Meritxell
Alternate Name: Nostra Senyora de Meritxell, Dia de Meritxell, National Day
Date: September 8
Place: Andorra
Type: National, Religious
Celebrants: Andorrans
Andorra is a principality in Europe, nestled between Spain and France, and is one of the smallest countries in the world. It is predominantly a Catholic nation, and many of its holidays are feast days of saints. Due to an centuries-long compromise, the rule of Andorra is officially split between the President of France (currently Emmanuel Macron) and the Bishop of Urgell (currently Joan Enric Vives Sicília). Catalan is the official language, and much of the population speaks Spanish and French, and some English, too.
The holiday of Our Lady of Meritxell centers around an apparition of the Virgin Mary in the 12th century. Legend has it that one, snowy winter, the people of Merixtell, Andorra found a statue of the Virgin Mary sitting in a clear grove at the base of a full-blooming rose plant. The people were impressed with the statue and moved it to their church. However, the next day, the statue had disappeared from the church, reappearing in the same spot it had been found. The people tried taking it to another church, but the next day, the same thing happened. Convinced that this was sign from the Virgin herself, the people erected a church in the place the statue had shown them. They placed the statue inside the new church, and this time it stayed there. The statue dated from the 12th and 13th centuries, and until 1972, was considered one of the oldest, most well-preserved relic of its kind; unfortunately, the original statue, as well as the original church, was destroyed in a fire in that year.
Our Lady of Merixtell is very important to the Andorran people. The story is a point of pride for them, and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Merixtell was declared a minor basilica in 2014 by Pope Francis, and made part of the Marian Route, a pilgrimage route that includes four other shrines in Spain and France. Our Lady of Merixtell is mentioned in the Andorran national anthem, and Merixtell is a common Andorran girl’s name. Andorrans celebrate this day, which is also their independence day, by making a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Meritxell. A Mass is said, ending with traditional poems. Traditional dances, particularly the sardana, and a concert, are performed, and then a procession of torches goes around the shrine's premises. Finally, to finish off the day, there is cake and chocolate for all the participants.
September 8th is also the feast day for many other Marian celebrations: Our Lady of Charity, and the Nativity of Mary, are observed by the Roman Catholic Church; the Monti Fest, celebrated by Mangelorean Catholics; and the feast of Our Lady of Good Health of Vailankanni, India, which also commemorates another apparition of the Blessed Mother.
I hope you've enjoyed learning about this particular feast day; it was certainly new to me! To any Andorrans happening to read this, Happy National Day! Or any of these wonderful holidays.
Have a great night!
References:
http://aglobalworld.com/holidays-around-the-world/andorra-lady-meritxell-day/
http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/.a/6a00d8341c464853ef01b8d0626aac970c-popup
https://thecatholictravelguide.com/destinations/andorra-shrine-lady-meritxell/
http://www.nationalanthems.info/ad.htm
http://santuariodemeritxell.com/en/sanctuary/our-lady-of-meritxell
http://visitandorra.com/en/culture/basilica-sanctuary-of-meritxell/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_8#Holidays_and_observances
https://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/ad.htm
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