The Eight-Day Marian Fast in Preparation for the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Ettu Nombu (เดเดเตเดเตเดจเตเดฎเตเดชเต), literally the โEight-Day Fast/Abstinence,โ is one of the cherished Marian devotional traditions of the Saint Thomas Christian community in Kerala. It is observed from September 1 to September 8, culminating in the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8. The devotion is found among the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara Catholic communities as well as among several Oriental Orthodox communities of Kerala. (Wikipedia)
For the Syro-Malabar faithful, Ettu Nombu is not merely a period of avoiding certain foods. Properly understood, it is a period of prayer, abstinence, repentance, Marian devotion, family renewal, charity and preparation for celebrating the birth of the Mother of Jesus.
๐น What is Ettu Nombu?
Ettu Nombu means an eight-day period of nombuโa traditional practice of fasting and especially abstinenceโobserved from September 1 through September 8.
The period prepares the faithful spiritually for the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Syro-Malabar Catechetical Centre identifies Ettu Nombu among the traditional periods of abstinence observed by the Mar Thoma Christians, alongside the 50-day Easter preparation, 25-day Christmas preparation and 15-day preparation for the Assumption. It explains that the purpose of these periods is not merely dietary restriction but growth in the Christian life. (Smart Catechism)
Thus:
Ettu Nombu is not simply โnot eating meat.โ It is an invitation to make the heart ready for God through Mary.
๐ธ When is Ettu Nombu observed?
Ettu Nombu is observed every year:
September 1 โ September 8
| Day | Date | Spiritual Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | September 1 | Beginning of the Ettu Nombu |
| Day 2 | September 2 | Prayer and repentance |
| Day 3 | September 3 | Family and vocation |
| Day 4 | September 4 | Protection and purity |
| Day 5 | September 5 | Healing and consolation |
| Day 6 | September 6 | Children and youth |
| Day 7 | September 7 | Final preparation |
| Day 8 | September 8 | Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary |
The actual devotional practices can differ from parish to parish. Some communities organize daily Holy Qurbana, novenas, Rosary, preaching, Eucharistic adoration, processions and special blessings. Syro-Malabar parishes outside Kerala also continue the tradition; for example, a Syro-Malabar parish in Dallas has officially described September 1โ8 as Ettu Nombu and combined it with daily Qurbana and novena prayer. (Syro-Malabar Church Dallas)
โ๏ธ Is Ettu Nombu an official liturgical fast of the Syro-Malabar Church?
This distinction is important.
Ettu Nombu is a cherished traditional devotional observance, but it should not be confused with a universally obligatory canonical fast of the Syro-Malabar Church.
The Syro-Malabar catechetical material distinguishes between obligatory fasting/abstinence and recommended traditional periods such as Ettu Nombu. The particular-law material available in the Syro-Malabar context identifies Ettu Nombu among the periods for which abstinence is recommended, rather than treating all eight days as obligatory fasting days in the same sense as the obligatory days of fasting. (Smart Catechism)
Therefore, it is better to tell the faithful:
โThe Church encourages us to observe Ettu Nombu according to our ability and devotion.โ
rather than:
โEvery Catholic is canonically obliged to fast for eight days.โ
This distinction protects both Church law and authentic popular devotion.
๐ Fasting and Abstinence: What Does โNombuโ Mean?
The Malayalam word เดจเตเดฎเตเดชเต (nombu) has a broader spiritual meaning than simply โdieting.โ
Traditional Saint Thomas Christian spirituality distinguishes between abstinence and fasting.
Abstinence
Abstinence means deliberately giving up particular foods or pleasures as an act of spiritual discipline.
Traditionally, Saint Thomas Christians were known for periods in which they abstained from foods such as:
- meat,
- fish,
- eggs,
- milk,
- and milk products.
The exact practice has varied historically and geographically. (Smart Catechism)
Fasting
Fasting (upavฤsa) has a deeper meaning: intentionally reducing food and dedicating oneself more intensely to prayer and God.
Therefore, Ettu Nombu should not be reduced to a vegetarian diet.
The real question is:
What am I giving up for God, and what am I giving to God?
๐ The Three Dimensions of Ettu Nombu
A fruitful Ettu Nombu can be understood through three movements:
1. Give up
Give up something that distracts us from God.
2. Give to God
Give more time to:
- prayer,
- Holy Qurbana,
- Scripture,
- Rosary,
- confession,
- Eucharistic adoration.
3. Give to others
Give:
- food to the hungry,
- forgiveness to those who hurt us,
- help to the poor,
- time to lonely people,
- love to our family.
That is the spirit of authentic Christian fasting.
๐น Why is Ettu Nombu connected with Mary?
The ultimate feast toward which Ettu Nombu moves is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Mary’s birth is celebrated because she is the Mother of Jesus Christ and therefore has a unique place in God’s plan of salvation.
The celebration is not centered on Mary independently of Christ.
Rather:
We honour Mary because of what God accomplished in her and through her.
Her life leads us directly to Jesus.
๐ Mary: The Dawn Before the Sun
A beautiful Christian image for understanding the Nativity of Mary is dawn.
The dawn is not the sun.
But the dawn announces that the sun is coming.
Mary is not the Saviour.
Jesus is the Saviour.
But Mary’s birth is like the dawn preceding the coming of Christ.
Through Mary, the mystery of the Incarnation will soon unfold:
โThe Word became flesh and lived among us.โ
โ John 1:14
Therefore Ettu Nombu ultimately prepares us to contemplate the mystery of Christ’s Incarnation.
๐ The Biblical Foundation of Marian Devotion
The New Testament does not give us an account of Mary’s birth.
The Gospels begin their explicit story of Mary primarily with the Annunciation.
However, Scripture gives us a profound picture of the woman whom God chose to become the Mother of His Son.
At the Annunciation:
โHail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.โ
โ Luke 1:28
Mary responds:
โBehold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.โ
โ Luke 1:38
Her greatness is therefore inseparable from her obedience to God.
โค๏ธ Mary’s Magnificat
Mary’s prayer in Luke 1:46โ55 is one of the most beautiful biblical expressions of faith.
She proclaims:
โMy soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.โ
This should be at the heart of Ettu Nombu.
Mary’s devotion is not centered on herself.
Her entire existence points toward God.
๐ฟ Ettu Nombu and Family Prayer
One of the most beautiful aspects of the Kerala tradition is its connection with family spirituality.
Traditionally, many families use these eight days to pray together.
A family might gather in the evening for:
- Sign of the Cross
- Scripture reading
- Rosary
- Litany or prayer to Mary
- Prayer for the family
- Prayer for children
- Prayer for the sick
- Prayer for the departed
- Concluding blessing
The exact form can vary.
The important thing is to transform Ettu Nombu from a personal dietary practice into a family pilgrimage of faith.
๐ฟ The Rosary During Ettu Nombu
The Rosary has a particularly important place in the Marian spirituality of Kerala.
The tradition of Ettu Nombu includes communal Rosary prayer, and Catholic communities continue this practice in parishes and missions. Kerala Tourism’s description of the Kuravilangad celebration specifically notes group Rosary prayer as an important custom during the eight days. (Kerala Tourism)
Families can pray:
One decade each day
or
One full Rosary each evening.
The important thing is not simply the number of prayers but the contemplation of Christ with Mary.
๐ฏ๏ธ Holy Qurbana and Ettu Nombu
The Eucharist should occupy a central place in Ettu Nombu.
Some parishes arrange daily Holy Qurbana and novena prayers during the eight days. A Syro-Malabar parish in Dallas, for example, has publicly described daily novena prayer following Holy Qurbana during Ettu Nombu. (Syro-Malabar Church Dallas)
The faithful can make a special effort during these days to:
- attend Holy Qurbana,
- receive Holy Communion worthily,
- spend time in Eucharistic adoration,
- make a good confession,
- pray for priests and vocations.
Mary’s entire life points toward Jesus, and therefore authentic Marian devotion naturally leads to the Eucharistic Christ.
๐๏ธ Confession During Ettu Nombu
Ettu Nombu can become an excellent opportunity for spiritual purification.
A person might ask:
- Is there someone I refuse to forgive?
- Is there a serious sin I have been hiding?
- Have I neglected prayer?
- Have I become indifferent to the Eucharist?
- Have I hurt someone through my words?
- Have I allowed anger to control me?
- Have I neglected my family?
- Have I become attached to material things?
Mary’s purity invites us to examine our own hearts.
๐น Ettu Nombu and the Protection of Children
In Kerala, the devotion has acquired a particularly strong association with children, women and families.
At the historic St. Mary’s Forane Church, Kuravilangad, the Ettu Nombu celebration includes special prayers and traditions involving women and children. The church’s account also describes the feast as a period of fasting and prayer connected with the protection of young people from moral dangers. (Kuravilangad Church)
This provides an excellent pastoral opportunity.
During Ettu Nombu, families can pray especially for:
- children,
- teenagers,
- students,
- young women,
- young men,
- marriages,
- pregnant mothers,
- parents,
- grandparents.
๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ Ettu Nombu and Mothers
September 8 is especially associated with motherhood in Kerala Christian popular devotion.
Mary’s Nativity reminds us to appreciate:
- mothers,
- grandmothers,
- women who sacrifice for their families,
- mothers who have lost children,
- women longing for children,
- widows,
- single mothers,
- mothers caring for sick children.
A parish can use the Ettu Nombu period to offer special prayers for mothers and families.
๐พ Ettu Nombu and Charity
Fasting without charity can become merely a dietary exercise.
Isaiah gives a powerful reminder that authentic fasting must produce justice and mercy.
Therefore, during Ettu Nombu families can choose one concrete act of charity:
For example:
- feed a poor family;
- sponsor a child’s education;
- visit a sick person;
- help an elderly neighbour;
- support a seminarian;
- provide medicine for someone in need;
- donate blood;
- visit someone who is lonely;
- forgive an old debt;
- reconcile with a family member.
The best Ettu Nombu is one that makes us more charitable.
๐บ The Eight Days as a Spiritual Journey
The eight days can be used as a simple spiritual pilgrimage.
๐ฟ Day 1 โ Surrender
โMary, teach me to surrender myself to God.โ
๐ฟ Day 2 โ Purity
โMary, purify my heart.โ
๐ฟ Day 3 โ Family
โMary, protect our families.โ
๐ฟ Day 4 โ Children
โMary, protect our children and youth.โ
๐ฟ Day 5 โ Healing
โMary, intercede for the sick and suffering.โ
๐ฟ Day 6 โ Vocations
โMary, pray for priests, religious and families.โ
๐ฟ Day 7 โ Forgiveness
โMary, help us reconcile with one another.โ
๐ฟ Day 8 โ Joy
โMary, lead us to Jesus, the source of our joy.โ
๐น Traditional Stories About the Origin of Ettu Nombu
There are several traditions explaining the origin of the eight-day observance.
It is important to distinguish historical evidence from devotional tradition.
One traditional account connects the practice with the ancient Christian communities of the Near East. Another popular Kerala tradition connects it with the protection of Christian women and girls during periods of invasion and social danger.
The Kuravilangad Church itself records a traditional account connecting the observance with the protection of girls during an invasion and describes another local explanation involving the protection of young women from moral dangers. The church explicitly presents these as traditions/legends rather than as established historical fact. (Kuravilangad Church)
Therefore, when publishing an article, it is better to write:
โAccording to a longstanding traditionโฆโ
rather than:
โHistorically, this definitely happenedโฆโ
๐๏ธ Ettu Nombu and the Ancient Saint Thomas Christian Tradition
Ettu Nombu belongs to the wider devotional world of Kerala’s Saint Thomas Christians.
The Syro-Malabar tradition developed within the ancient East-Syrian Christian heritage of India.
Traditional Saint Thomas Christian spirituality placed considerable importance on seasons of:
- fasting,
- abstinence,
- prayer,
- vigils,
- preparation for feasts.
The Syro-Malabar catechetical tradition specifically identifies Ettu Nombu among these traditional periods of abstinence. (Smart Catechism)
๐ฏ๏ธ Ettu Nombu in Syro-Malabar Parishes Today
The devotion is not restricted to Kerala.
Syro-Malabar communities throughout India and in the diaspora continue to celebrate Ettu Nombu.
For example, Syro-Malabar parishes in the United States have announced the observance from September 1โ8, with Holy Qurbana, novena prayers and Nativity celebrations. (Syro-Malabar Church Dallas)
A Syro-Malabar parish in Canberra has likewise reported observing the entire Ettu Nombu period through daily online Rosaries. (Syro Malabar Australia)
This demonstrates how a traditional Kerala devotion has become part of the spiritual life of the global Syro-Malabar diaspora.
๐ต๏ธ Ettu Nombu at Kuravilangad
St. Mary’s Forane Church, Kuravilangad, is one of the most prominent Syro-Malabar Marian pilgrimage centres associated with Ettu Nombu.
The church describes its Ettu Nombu Thirunnal as an eight-day devotion from September 1โ8 involving:
- prayer,
- fasting,
- novena,
- Rosary,
- liturgical celebrations,
- processions,
- special devotional programmes,
- and communal celebrations. (Kuravilangad Church)
Its celebration also includes the Confluence of Marys, in which women and children bearing names such as Mary, Mariam, Maria, Vimala and Amala participate in a special gathering and offering. (Kuravilangad Church)
๐น Ettu Nombu and the Marian Churches of Kerala
The devotion is celebrated in many Marian centres.
Among the places where Marian devotion around the Nativity is particularly prominent are:
- Kuravilangad
- various Syro-Malabar Marian forane churches
- parish churches dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Syro-Malabar diaspora communities
- churches in which September 8 is celebrated as a major parish feast.
The precise form of the celebration varies from parish to parish.
๐ธ The Nativity of Mary
The eighth day, September 8, is the climax.
The Church celebrates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Mary’s Nativity is a joyful Marian feast because the woman chosen to become the Mother of the Saviour has entered the world.
The feast therefore points beyond Mary to:
Jesus Christ.
Mary’s entire vocation is oriented toward Him.
๐ Why Is Mary’s Nativity Celebrated?
Mary’s birth is significant because of her role in salvation history.
Through God’s grace:
Mary โ Annunciation โ Incarnation โ Jesus Christ โ Redemption
The celebration therefore invites us to contemplate God’s providential preparation for the coming of the Saviour.
๐น Mary as Mother
At the Cross, Jesus entrusted Mary to the beloved disciple:
โBehold, your mother.โ
โ John 19:27
Catholic tradition understands Mary’s motherhood as extending in a spiritual sense to the disciples of Christ.
Therefore, Ettu Nombu is also a beautiful time to renew our relationship with Mary as:
- Mother of Jesus,
- Mother of the Church,
- Mother of believers,
- Mother of consolation,
- Mother of hope.
๐๏ธ Mary and the Holy Spirit
Mary’s life is intimately connected with the Holy Spirit.
At the Annunciation:
โThe Holy Spirit will come upon you.โ
โ Luke 1:35
At Pentecost, Mary is also found among the disciples gathered in prayer:
โAll these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus.โ
โ Acts 1:14
Mary therefore teaches the Church to become a praying community open to the Holy Spirit.
๐ฟ Ettu Nombu and Christian Renewal
The greatest fruit of Ettu Nombu should not be merely:
โI successfully completed eight days without meat.โ
The greater fruit is:
โI have become closer to Jesus.โ
If the eight days make us:
- more prayerful,
- more forgiving,
- more charitable,
- more Eucharistic,
- more faithful,
- more peaceful,
- more respectful of family,
- more compassionate,
then the Nombu has achieved its purpose.
โ ๏ธ Things to Avoid During Ettu Nombu
Ettu Nombu should not become:
โ A superstition
โBecause I avoided meat for eight days, Mary must grant whatever I ask.โ
No.
โ A transaction with God
โI fasted, therefore God owes me something.โ
No.
โ A competition
โI fasted more strictly than everyone else.โ
No.
โ A magical practice
The Christian does not manipulate divine power through rituals.
โ Mere externalism
Jesus Himself warned against fasting without conversion of heart.
โค๏ธ The Correct Attitude
The proper attitude is:
โLord, I offer You this sacrifice because I love You. Through Mary’s intercession, make my heart more like the heart of Christ.โ
That is Christian fasting.
๐ Suggested Family Programme for Ettu Nombu
A parish could encourage families to follow a simple daily programme:
Morning
- Sign of the Cross
- Offering of the day
- Hail Mary
- Scripture verse
During the day
- Observe the chosen abstinence
- Avoid unnecessary entertainment
- Perform one hidden act of charity
Evening
- Family Rosary
- Scripture reading
- Prayer to Mary
- Prayer for children
- Prayer for the sick
- Prayer for the departed
If possible
- Holy Qurbana
- Confession
- Eucharistic adoration
This makes Ettu Nombu a complete spiritual programme rather than simply a food restriction.
๐บ Ettu Nombu Prayer
Prayer to Our Lady During the Eight-Day Nombu
O Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of God and our loving Mother,
with faith and confidence we begin these holy days of Ettu Nombu.
Teach us to pray as you prayed,
to trust as you trusted,
to obey as you obeyed,
and to love as you loved.
Help us to purify our hearts
through prayer, fasting and repentance.
Bless our families.
Protect our children and youth.
Strengthen our marriages.
Comfort our mothers.
Heal the sick.
Console those who are grieving.
Guide those who are searching for direction.
Protect those who are far from home.
Help our young people to remain faithful to Christ.
Pray especially for our priests,
religious, seminarians and missionaries.
Obtain for us the grace
to overcome sin,
to forgive one another,
to serve the poor
and to remain faithful to the Holy Eucharist.
Mother Mary,
lead us always to Jesus.
May these eight days not merely change our food,
but change our hearts.
May our fasting become prayer,
our prayer become love,
and our love become service.
O Mary, Mother of Grace,
pray for us now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
๐น Ettu Nombu โ The Central Message
The entire devotion can be summarized in one sentence:
Ettu Nombu is eight days of prayer, abstinence and spiritual preparation, leading the faithful to the joyful celebration of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and, through Mary, to Jesus Christ.
It is a beautiful expression of Kerala’s ancient Christian spiritualityโwhere family, fasting, Rosary, Holy Qurbana, Marian devotion, charity and community come together.
And its deepest message is not:
โWhat food did I give up?โ
but:
โWhat have I surrendered to God?โ
Not:
โHow strictly did I fast?โ
but:
โHow deeply did I love?โ
Not:
โWhat did I receive from Mary?โ
but:
โDid Mary lead me closer to Jesus?โ
That is the heart of Ettu Nombu.
โHoly Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.โ ๐น
Leave a Reply