Wandering Mother of God
The Wandering Mother of God is a form of devotion to the Virgin Mary that occurs mainly in the Alpine region. This custom is in many places as wearing or wearing , woman praying or Woman praying known. Further synonyms are the Wandering Madonna and Mother of God Carrying . It is a regional custom that a Mary icon or statue "wanders" through the parish , especially during Advent, but sometimes also throughout the year, and in contrast to the search for a hostel, it is only in a stable for the Holy FamilyFound space, is taken in by individual families. This form of veneration can be traced back to various events in Mary's life , such as the visitation , the search for a hostel and the flight to Egypt .
The recipients often invite other families to pray together (for example the rosary ). This wants to express that Mary is constantly on the move today to bring the Savior and Redeemer to people. In the meantime, this custom has also found its way into the preparation of First Communion and Confirmation in some places . The Legion of Mary in particular has adopted this form of devotion to Mary.
A depiction of the Magna Mater Austriae of Mariazell acquired special significance as the Wandering Mother of God , as it has been used in Austria and Croatia since 1947 . The most widespread wandering mother of God in Austria with over 4000 specimens is a representation of the Rosa mystica .
literature
- Norbert Stemmer: The Niederaltaicher Frauentragen: an Advent game for school children . Höfling, Munich 1950
- Richard Furggler: The Wandering Mother of God from Brünnlegg in St. Johann in Ahrn . 1978
- Herbert Madinger: The Wandering Mother of God is coming . Archdiocese of Vienna, Catholic Faith Information, 1995
- Vitzthum: Carefully from house to house from the pious "carrying women"; an old, rare Advent custom . 1995