16th Century traditions, Traditions

My Dear Friends, Special thanks to John Matthew, Matthew …

Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to consider the subscription options.

Follow us on Facebook, or Twitter, or Google +.

Comment posted Some of the traditions and rituals among the Syrian Christians of Kerala by Allen Ephraim.

My Dear Friends,

Special thanks to John Matthew, Matthew George, Achayan and others.
The discussion is very interesting.
Let me inform you one thing.

I know some old christian families settled currently in Northern Kerala who think that their ancestors are from Jerusalem.
It seems they do not want to show it as a matter of Prestige, unlike others.
(They are not in Kottayam Diocece and not from the group of Thomas The Cannanite.)
For them Jerusalem is a a sad memory especially when we speak about the city of Jerusalem.
They use a golden star in their home during prayers and keep it in their study tables and dining rooms.
For them it is a symbol of God.
Somewhere in Psalms David calls God as his Shield.
They call this star ”magandhaavid” which is equivalent to Shield of David.
They do not like (it seems) to attend Latin Mass and prefer Syro Malabar Qurbana.
They say that some Jerusalem ‘touches’ (only a small percent) are in this Qurbana.
According to them currently many Roman Concepts are present in this Qurbana.

There is a mysterious story in these families related to some Old Goan Bishops.
It seems their fathers possessed something either in material form or in brain which challenged those Bishops.
Because of some hidden reasons their fathers were shifting places along Kerala.
I do not know it fully, anyway it is not relevent here.

Moreover they decorate their home with 7 armed lantern which implies the burning bush that was seen by Moses.
I have not seen Jewish homes, but my friend told me that he has seen similar lanterns in Jewish homes.
For these christians, Pesaha is the most important festival.
They will not celebrate Onam or any other related festivals unlike other Christians. For them Onam is a Hindu Festival.

Their children should select the names only from their family tree.
It has several complicated rules.
As seen in Gospel of St Matthew, remember the naming of St.John. They were not supposed to call him John because of the same rules.

The girls are not allowed to use any type of spots on their forehead.
Even though they are catholic they do not celebrate in front of human saints.
But they respect them.
For them there is only one God, the God of Israel and Jesus Christ his messenger and Son.
Creating any images either of saints or of any bishops or humans are prohibited by ‘unwritten laws’.
Pictures used to decorate rooms are mainly paintings from Bible events, mainly from Old Testament.
Thier prayers are done by facing the direction of Jerusalem.
They bury their dead bodies in such a way that when resurrect his face should be towards Jerusalem.
If they do some heavy sins ( Mortal Sins?) they weep by looking towards Jerusalem.

I hope this little information is helpful to this forum.
John Matthew, who are these people?
These practices are some what different.
Are they belong to Jewish Christians?