On Saturday (July 31), the Gozo Cathedral community will mark the beginning of festivities in honour of the Assumption of Our Lady to be celebrated on August 15 with the devotion of the so-called Kwindiċina, a period of 15 days of special prayer to Blessed Virgin Mary.

According to Church historian Mgr Joseph Bezzina, the devotion of the Kwindiċina has its roots in the Constantinopolitan-Byzantine liturgy and its origins can be traced before the year AD 1000. The Church wanted to celebrate with due solemnity the feast of the Dormitio, as the Assumption was originally known, initiated by Emperor Mauritius in the sixth century at Jerusalem. From there, the devotion was quickly adopted by the whole Christian world.

The devotion of the Kwindiċina is practised among all oriental Churches – Copt, Ethiopian, Syrian, Maronite, Chaldean, Armenian and Greek. All these Churches commemorate the feast of the Assumption, also known as the Holy Feast or the Divine Feast.

On Saturday, Gozo Cathedral archpriest Joseph Sultana will open the Kwindiċina days with sung Mass, with the participation of Leone Band members, at 6.30pm. Each of these 15 days is dedicated to a particular section of the parish community.