Christmas, carols and a unique Indian Christianity (PICTURES)

The Times of India ^ | Sunday, December 25, 2005 12:32:13 amIANS | IANS

[CarrotAndStick]

Children light candles at the Sacred Heart Church on Christmas Eve, in Delhi on Saturday, Dec 24, 2005. (AP)

NEW DELHI: Christianity came to India much before it went to the West, perhaps a reason why India's 25 million Christians prefer to be Catholic in faith, oriental in worship and Indian in culture.

It has been a two-way process - a process of osmosis where Christianity has over the centuries become an indelible part of Indian plurality. Not only for the urban middle classes enthusiastically getting ready for Christmas, a festival that long ago surpassed the boundaries of mere religion, but also for the many millions who have studied in missionary schools.

On the flip side, many customs of the majority Hindu religion have assimilated into Christian traditions, making for a uniquely Indian Christianity in a country where the community forms the second largest minority group after the Muslims and constitutes 2.4 percent of its one billion plus population.

According to a 2003 report of Directory of Catholic Health Facilities in India, the Catholic church itself has 764 hospitals, 2,975 dispensaries and health centres and 115 medical training centers throughout the country.

Young orphans play with gifts at the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata on Friday, December 23, 2005. (Reuters)

There are eight Christian community-run medical colleges apart from 600 Catholic nuns trained as medical doctors serving in rural areas of the country.

The community-run educational institutions claim to have produced many scientific and technological luminaries, besides producing a host of civil servants, entrepreneurs and political leaders, including India's first citizen, President A P J Abdul Kalam.

Students dressed as Santa Claus sing Christmas carols in Chandigarh on Friday, December 23, 2005. (Reuters)

Christianity came to India in 52 AD, long before it travelled to many of the west European Christian countries. The religion is believed to have been introduced by St. Thomas, a carpenter by profession and an apostle of Jesus Christ.

Although it reached in the first century, the community confined itself largely to India's southern coastal areas, mainly in Kerala, for almost 1,500 years. It spread to other parts like Goa and the northeast, particularly Mizoram - now a Christian majority state - after the arrival of the Portuguese in India in the 15th century, followed by the French and the British.

A man dressed as Santa Claus with children at the Sacred Heart Cathedral on the eve of Christmas in Delhi on Saturday, Dec 24, 2005. ( PTI)

"It is absolutely wrong to confuse Indian Christianity with colonial rule. When St. Thomas came here there was no colonialism," Kakkanattu told IANS.

"In fact, missionary activity, which was already there when the Portuguese and the British came, helped in mobilising general opinion against foreign rule," said Kakkanattu, the priest from the southern state that has a heavy Christian population.

A woman and a child pray at a church on Christmas Eve, in Delhi, India, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2005. (AP)

It is believed that the modern Indian renaissance began from West Bengal largely under the influence of Christianity, which brought in a new philosophy and social ideology.

Many prominent opinion makers, social leaders and outstanding educationists of Kolkata, the seat of the British empire in the last century, were Bengali Christians, like W.C Bonnerjee, the first president of the Indian National Congress, and Michael Madhusudhan Dutt, poet and playwright.

A girl lights a candle at a church on the Christmas Eve, in Delhi on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2005. (AP)

The Catholic Church in India comprises three individual Churches - Latin, Malabar and Malankara. Among the other Christian groups are Syrian Christians, Knanaya, Goan Christians, Tamil Christians and Naga Christians, with each category having its own distinct language and social customs.

But they are still all one, in sync, despite all differences, with one another and the pan-Indian identity to which all belong.

[CarrotAndStick]

Wish you a merry Christmas and a safe, peaceful and happy new year to the both of you!

[Gengis Khan]

 

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

[AdmSmith]

Thanks, and a Happy New Year to you and all our Indian FRiends.

[Phsstpok]

Christianity came to India in 52 AD, long before it travelled to many of the west European Christian countries. The religion is believed to have been introduced by St. Thomas, a carpenter by profession and an apostle of Jesus Christ.

Although it reached in the first century, the community confined itself largely to India's southern coastal areas, mainly in Kerala, for almost 1,500 years.

One of my former co-workers, who just left the company, was a Christian from Kerala in far southern India. Kerala appears to be a very beautiful area. The pictures he showed me from various trips or family events are gorgeous.

He described their church as Assyrian. He was incredibly knowledgable about Christian communities all through Central Asia, particularly Iraq, as they are all part of the same tradition. I learned lots of interesting things about this church which I had never heard of before first discussing it with him about 4 years ago.

What amazed me, given his knowledge about the church's history and current standing, even outside of India, was his lack of historic knowledge about India itself. For example, he knew the term Mogul from it's western usage (a very wealthy or powerful businessman) but was unaware of the terms origin as it related to the Moslem occupation of India.

After the Tsunami a year ago there was some coverage of the area, but I don't think they had severe damage. There is one story of the Santhome Cathedral, site of St. Thomas tomb, having been miraculously spared damage from the Tsunami that even secular skeptics will grant has some basis in fact, even if they do discount any miraculous intervention. That's the first time I'd ever seen any mention of this Christian history in India in the press.

[CarrotAndStick]

Even when the Muslims occupied India, they were largely concentrated in the north, whereas Kerala is about 2000 miles south of those lands. Even their outposts were a generous distance away from Kerala. But Kerala had a lot of contact with Arab, Portuguese and Jewish traders.


About the Tsunami having unaffected the Santhome Cathedral, I haven't actually heard about it. But I do know that the mosques in Aceh, Indonesia were spared, even when the houses surrounding them were totally wiped out, because of the free passage of the water through its relatively empty interiors. Other such 'roomy' buildings survived for the same reason. This could perhaps also explain the survival of the cathedral you mentioned.

[ARridgerunner]

And to you.

Merry Christmas:-)

[indcons]

"For example, he knew the term Mogul from it's western usage (a very wealthy or powerful businessman) but was unaware of the terms origin as it related to the Moslem occupation of India."

The result of 50+ years of socialist indoctrination in Indian schools. Any mention of muslim atrocities was disallowed....we have been suffering our homegrown brand of liberalism for decades now.


Merry Christmas

[Phsstpok]

There is a thread from January of this year about the story.  The big thing they say is that the waves were diverted, miraculously, away from the Cathedral, parted at a wooden post said to have been placed where it is by St. Thomas, himself.:

How Tsunami Waves Did Not Touch Santhome Cathedral
The Indian Catholic ^ | January 10, 2005

Posted on 01/10/2005 2:36:47 PM CST by It's me

CHENNAI (ICNS) – The tsunami waves have subsided, but a miracle is being talked about across Chennai. It is the story of how St Thomas’ miraculous post kept the invading waves away, sparing the newly renovated Santhome Cathedral.

The Cathedral, the world’s second basilica built on an apostle’s tomb, has been giving shelter to hundreds of tsunami victims ever since the waves ravaged many buildings across the coast.

But even though the killer tsunami waves devastated the Chennai coast, Father Lawrence Raj, the parish priest of the Santhome Cathedral Basilica, says “the sea did not touch our church.”

The reason? “We believe the miraculous post of St Thomas prevented the sea waters from entering the church,” says Father Raj.

Clicking the title should let you read the rest of the original article and the discussion.

[CarrotAndStick]

That was an interesting link. I will show you the picture of the mosque that was left unscathed by the Tsunami:

[little jeremiah]

Merry Christmas to all my friends on FR!

[Cronos]

With 25 million Christians, India has more Christians than most European and Latin American Christian nations.

[Cronos]

was his lack of historic knowledge about India itself.

well, India is an amalgamation of many nations -- with their own histories. There is an overwhelming sense of being Indian, like there was an overwhelming sense of being part of Christendom in the 10th century in Europe, however, each state has it's own language, traditions and even culture.

For instance, Kerala was never conquered by the Moghuls, neither was Tamil Nadu and both have historic kingdoms going back millenia. Then, in the north east they have their own traditions, in Maharashtra, different empires that opposed the Moghul and Sikh.

In fact, many wonder how the British could have conquered India -- the reason was, that to many regions, like to the Tamils, there was no real difference between an Invasion by Europeans or Marathas or Punjabis or Moghuls -- all were aliens.

that being said, India is now has a strong sense of nationhood, with local flavors.

[NYer]

Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[NYer]

Christianity is headed eastward. God's will be done.

Actually, he Church began in the East. Our Lord lived and died and resurrected in the Holy Land. The Church spread from Jerusalem throughout the known world. As the Church spread, it encountered different cultures and adapted, retaining from each culture what was consistent with the Gospel. In the city of Alexandria, the Church became very Egyptian; in Antioch it remained very Jewish; in Rome it took on an Italian appearance and in Constantinople it took on the trappings of the Roman imperial court. All the churches which developed this way were Eastern, except Rome. Most Catholics in the United States have their roots in Western Europe where the Roman rite predominated. It has been said that the Eastern Catholic Churches are "the best kept secret in the Catholic Church."

The Vatican II Council declared that "all should realize it is of supreme importance to understand, venerate, preserve, and foster the exceedingly rich liturgical and spiritual heritage of the Eastern churches, in order faithfully to preserve the fullness of Christian tradition" (Unitatis Redintegrato, 15). Pope John Paul II said that "the Catholic Church is both Eastern and Western."

Check your local community at the following link and look into attending an Eastern Catholic Liturgy (not to be confused with the Orthodox Church).

Eastern Catholic Churches in the U.S.

The Eastern Catholic Rites retain the rich heritage of our church, without the "novelties" introduced into the Novus Ordo liturgy. Incense is used throughout.

I attend a Maronite Catholic Church. The Consecration is in Aramaic, using the words and language of our Lord at the Last Supper. Communion is ONLY distributed by the priest. It is by intinction (the priest dips the consecrated host into the Precious Blood) and is ONLY received on the tongue. The priest administers communion with the words: "The Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ is given to you for the remission of sin and eternal salvation".

A Roman Catholic may attend the Divine Liturgy at any Eastern Catholic Church. You can learn more about the 22 different Churches at this link:

CATHOLIC RITES AND CHURCHES

[paudio]

ping for later

[livius]

Very nice, thank you for posting!