The Catholic Diocese of Macau welcomed the Year of the Snake this Wednesday, January 29th, with the observance of the feast of Our Lady of China. The commemoration of the Virgin of Dong Lu on the first day of the Lunar New Year is a liturgical tradition exclusive to the local Catholic Church. Elsewhere in the world, the solemnity of Our Lady of China falls every year on the day before the second Sunday of May. But how important is Marian devotion to Chinese Catholics? How did Our Lady of China become an integral part of the Lunar New Year celebrations in Macau? Andrew Leong, head of the Department of Catholic Theology at the Faculty of Religious Studies and Philosophy of the University of Saint Joseph, explains.
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