The shrine of Our Lady of Madhu is one of the biggest and most hallowed Christian shrines in Sri Lanka. It was built 400 years ago and is a centre of pilgrimage for Christians and people of all religions from all over the island. The biggest annual Feast day is held around August 15, the day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven.

The shrine houses the statue of Our Lady of Madhu which has developed a reputation for miracles over the years. Due to the escalation of violence during the war, the priests of Madhu removed the statue to safety. During the war thousands of refugees took shelter in the area around the shrine as it was regarded as a "demilitarized zone".

 Despite the tight police and military security hundreds of thousands of people attended this year’s annual Madhu festival. The last time it was held under the Sri Lankan government and in safety was in 1983. People of all religions were present this year; Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians stood side by side worshipping together.

Due to the recent culmination of the war the government had a mere two and a half month’s time in which to get the church and surrounding area ready for the festival. The amenities and facilities were therefore very basic, but no one seemed to mind as rich and poor mingled together, simply happy that they could once again visit this hallowed shrine in peace.

 For a lot of people it was an opportunity to bring their family and children to a festival that for many holds very sweet memories. Most people arrived on Thursday night or early Friday morning. The grounds were packed with tents and thronged with thousands upon thousands of pilgrims who had set up camp in the area surrounding the shrine.

There were designated areas for bathing; one for men and an enclosed area for the women. The men’s section was lined with concrete tanks. Hundreds of men and boys stood around these tanks with buckets waiting for them to fill up. Once the tanks were full the guard on duty blew a whistle and simultaneously the men all began to fill their buckets and slosh water over themselves. Everyone seemed to be having lots of fun and it was hilarious to watch. In the enclosed women’s section the procedure was the same, however it was less boisterous and rowdy.

Food and drink stalls had been set up by locals which were spread out throughout the area to ensure the huge number of people had plenty to eat and drink.

The Friday evening mass was beautiful. Outside it was pitch black with only the lights from the shrine illuminating the upturned faces of the worshippers. Thousands of people stood outside on the grass to hear the service which was sung in both Tamil and Sinhalese. I am not religious, nor do I believe, but I had the strangest sensation as I listened to the service; it was so peaceful and the singing was so wonderful and moving.

After four hours of sleep I was up again and at the shrine for the Saturday morning service. As the first rays of sun lit up the shrine the congregation was welcomed by the bishops and archbishops presiding over the mass. Our privileged media position in front of the shrine provided us with an outstanding view of both the church and the enormous crowd of people. The sea of faces seemed never ending stretching as far as the eye could see. For a lot of people the most emotional part of the service was the procession of the statue of Our Lady of Madhu from the shrine; many tears were shed.