Traditions
Traditions and Legends
When the Edathua Church was reconstructed in 1839 they renamed the Church as St.George Church. The parishioners sought the help of Rev.Fr. Geevarghese Valiavettil, first priest from Edathua, to bring a statue of St.George. He had been the vicar of St.George Church Edappally. Under his leadership the representatives of Edathua met the Apostolica of Varappuzha and obtained permission to bring the statue from Edappally Church. They found a statue of St.George in the attic of the Church and decided to take it.
To mark the occasion great, people from Edathua went to Edappally on snake boats. They reached Edappally and some of them remained back to prepare food while others went to the Church. They brought down the statue form the attie and cleaned it. The statue then seemed so attractive and fascinating that some of the parishioners of Edappally, objected and regretted in parting with the statue. However people from Edathua, the moved to the ghat with the Statue.
Ominuous events followed. The Church bells rang signaling danger. A side of the Church was engulfed by fire. Sensing the worsening situation the people from Edathua hurried and they abandored half cooked rice, got into the snake boats and rowed off to Edathua. The parishioners of Edathua believed that Saint miraculous power was present in the statue and venerated it. The events that occurred at Edappally spread far and wide. The people hearing and believing it came to Edathua, seeking the Saints intervention.
Alappuzha which was a well established commercial center had trade connections with Travancore and people from southern part of Travancore came to Alappuzha on large heavy boats carrying goods for sole. They had to journey through the vast lakes and inundated paddy fields to reach Alappuzha. St.George was a guard and guide to many of them.
Once legend say a man from Tamil Nadu on his way to covered Alappuzha lost his oar and thus wandered about in the vast water wath paddy fields. He prayed earnestly to Saint George. Some how his boat drifted and miraculously came to Edathua Church ghat where the Saint appeared to him and handed over him his lost oar. The presence of people from Tamil Nadu in large numbers especially from the coastal belt and even from Srilanka, is an ample proof of Saints mediation in their lives.
There are many instances regarding the miraculous intercession. That thousands of devotees received from Saint George of Edathua invoked by all as Edathua Punniyavalan (Saint of Edathua) many incidents of wondrous care from physical and mental ailments protection from snake bites, protection while fishing in the sea etc...
Once a toddy tapper who was climbing down a palm tree, saw a snake about to strike at him. He cried aloud to the Saint to save him. Instantly Vulture from some where flew down and picked up the Snake. In gratitude he made a gold offering to the Church depicting his miraculous experience a snake under the grip of a vulture.
There are hundred of such instances & miraculous interventions by the saint experienced by many devotees.
When the Edathua Church was reconstructed in 1839 they renamed the Church as St.George Church. The parishioners sought the help of Rev.Fr. Geevarghese Valiavettil, first priest from Edathua, to bring a statue of St.George. He had been the vicar of St.George Church Edappally. Under his leadership the representatives of Edathua met the Apostolica of Varappuzha and obtained permission to bring the statue from Edappally Church. They found a statue of St.George in the attic of the Church and decided to take it.
To mark the occasion great, people from Edathua went to Edappally on snake boats. They reached Edappally and some of them remained back to prepare food while others went to the Church. They brought down the statue form the attie and cleaned it. The statue then seemed so attractive and fascinating that some of the parishioners of Edappally, objected and regretted in parting with the statue. However people from Edathua, the moved to the ghat with the Statue.
Ominuous events followed. The Church bells rang signaling danger. A side of the Church was engulfed by fire. Sensing the worsening situation the people from Edathua hurried and they abandored half cooked rice, got into the snake boats and rowed off to Edathua. The parishioners of Edathua believed that Saint miraculous power was present in the statue and venerated it. The events that occurred at Edappally spread far and wide. The people hearing and believing it came to Edathua, seeking the Saints intervention.
Alappuzha which was a well established commercial center had trade connections with Travancore and people from southern part of Travancore came to Alappuzha on large heavy boats carrying goods for sole. They had to journey through the vast lakes and inundated paddy fields to reach Alappuzha. St.George was a guard and guide to many of them.
Once legend say a man from Tamil Nadu on his way to covered Alappuzha lost his oar and thus wandered about in the vast water wath paddy fields. He prayed earnestly to Saint George. Some how his boat drifted and miraculously came to Edathua Church ghat where the Saint appeared to him and handed over him his lost oar. The presence of people from Tamil Nadu in large numbers especially from the coastal belt and even from Srilanka, is an ample proof of Saints mediation in their lives.
There are many instances regarding the miraculous intercession. That thousands of devotees received from Saint George of Edathua invoked by all as Edathua Punniyavalan (Saint of Edathua) many incidents of wondrous care from physical and mental ailments protection from snake bites, protection while fishing in the sea etc...
Once a toddy tapper who was climbing down a palm tree, saw a snake about to strike at him. He cried aloud to the Saint to save him. Instantly Vulture from some where flew down and picked up the Snake. In gratitude he made a gold offering to the Church depicting his miraculous experience a snake under the grip of a vulture.
There are hundred of such instances & miraculous interventions by the saint experienced by many devotees.
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