LL-L "Traditions" 2009.04.11 (03) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 11 April 2009 - Volume 03
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From: Mike Morgan <mwmosaka at gmail.com>
 Subject: LL-L "Traditions" 2009.04.11 (02) [E]

Since we are talking about easter traditions, and since India has one of the
oldest christian denominations in the world, maybe some of you might be
interested to read a bit about THEIR easter traditons:



http://nasrani.net/2007/03/25/passover-among-nasrani-syrian-christians-of-kerala/



no easter water involved ... however there is pesaha coconut milk!



The calendar found at

http://www.pathikulangara.in/images/calender/CA%204.jpg

tells us that unlike, for example orthodox churches, the St thomas church
celebrates easter today, not in 2 weeks.



Nasrani.net also has some other interesteing articles on their traditions
(simply click on the link "traditions" at the top of the above article)



... and for a bit of background (for those week in church history to the
east of the holy lands) here is an excerpt on who the St thomas
Syro-Malabarian Christians are taken from:

http://www.stthomasdiocese.org/history.htm

(which is the home page of the Chicago Catholic Diocese of the same):



*"Syro-Malabar Church*

 St. Thomas the Apostle, one of the twelve apostles of Our Lord Jesus
Christ, came to India in A.D. 52 and preached the Gospel and established
ecclesial communities. Seven of such communities are well known in the
Malabar coast of South India: They are Kodungalloor, Niranam, Kollam,
Chayal, Kottakkavu, Kokkamangalam and Palayoor in the present state of
Kerala. It is good to remember that there were some Jewish settlements in
South India at that time due to the commercial relationship between India
and Mesopotamia. After his preaching in Malabar Coast he traveled to East
coast and there he suffered Martyrdom in 72 A.D. July 3 is observed as a
Holy Day of Obligation by the Syro-Malabar Church. His tomb is located at
Mylapore in Tamilnadu. The early Christians of India were known as St.
Thomas Christians or “Nazrani Mappila”. The head of the Church in India was
called the “Metropolitan of the whole of India”.



Due to the commercial relationship between Persia and South India, East
Syrian language was introduced to the early Christians. The St. Thomas
Christians of India accepted the liturgy developed by the disciples of St.
Thomas in Mesopotamia known as Ss. Adai and Mari. The Chaldean Church of
Iraq uses the present anaphora –Eucharistic prayer – of the Syro-Malabar
Church, known as Anaphora of Ss. Adai and Mari. These two Churches have
common East Syrian liturgical tradition. But St. Thomas Christians –
Syro-Malabar Church – had different style of administration, customs and
practices. The historian of our Church, Rev. Fr. Placid Podipara, CMI, has
rightly put it: “The Syro-Malabar Church is Christian in faith, oriental in
worship and Indian in culture”.



Around A.D. 345 Thomas of Cana and 72 families from Syria came to India and
settled in Kodungalloor. It is believed that there was a bishop and priest
with them. The descendents of this group are known as Sudhists or
Knananites, keeping a separate identity among St. Thomas Christians. Since
that period, the bishop of the Syro-Malabar Church used to be from Persia of
East Syrian tradition. He was the spiritual leader of the community, while a
local priest, called Archdeacon, administered the temporal affairs. St.
Thomas Christians indulged in military service, agriculture and commerce.
They were given special recognition by the local kings."



mike || U C > || мика  || माईक || マイク
    (( Michael W Morgan, PhD ))
linguist at large in BomBa'y' (for the time being anyway)
+++++++++++++++++
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its
shoes. (attributed to Mark Twain)

•

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