Church makes 827-kg cake to mark saint's birthday

Kochi, Apr 18: A 827-kg cake to mark the birthday of a saint! A church in Kerala came up with one to coincide with the birthday of Saint Antony.

Seeking to mark the 827th birthday of St Antony, a church, dedicated to him in nearby North Paravur, made a unique cake weighing 827 kg, which was 110 feet tall and six-feet wide. It was displayed at the church premises for devotees to have a glimpse and later distributed to them on Tuesday.

The management of St Antony's shrine located at Chettikkad near North Paravur, a well-known pilgrim centre, conceptualised the huge cake as a sweet offering to be distributed to devotees who thronged the church during the festivities related to the saint's birthday.

A church priest said they used to make cakes earlier also to mark St Antony's birthday and distribute among devotees later.

But, this is for the first time that such a huge cake was being made, said Father Ambros Puthenveettil, vicar and rector of the church.

''Such a huge cake was planned with the objective of giving at least a single piece to every devotee who comes to the shrine during the day,'' he said.

A devotee, who didn't want to disclose his identity, sponsored the cake which cost over Rs 3.5 lakh, he said.

A local bakery made the cake and at least 20 of its employees toiled hard to bring it in its final form, he said.

The richly decorated cake had engravings of several significant episodes in the life of St Antony and the features of the church, the priest added.