Sunday, May 11, 2008

Rose Petals through the Oculus

Fr. Z has some fantastic shots of the Mass at S. Maria ad Martyres (aka The Pantheon), where the custom is to shower down rose petals through the oculus during Mass (at the Epiclesis?) ... I can't resist showing one of his photos off here ... go see the rest!

2 comments:

masalai said...

What is the significance? Does this correspond to the tossing of marigolds onto the floor of the sanctuary in the clip of the Oriental Orthodox Qurbana that you filmed in Bombay?

Fr. Gaurav Shroff said...

Well, scattering flowers is, I am sure, a universal religious custom whose particular symbolic meaning varies a lot.

I think in the Palm Sunday Qurbana it symbolizes the honor and veneration shown by the crowd to Jesus as He makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

At the Pantheon, they do this only on Pentecost, where it is supposed to symbolize the tongues of fire coming down from heaven. I guess having a church with a hole in the roof makes for an excellent setting ... :)