Kupari
Encyclopedia
Samvedi are a sub group of East Indian community. This community is concentrated mostly in Bassein , India
, which is about 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) north of Mumbai
. Kupari Ancestors were Mixture of Samvedic Brahmins, Goans and Portuguese because of inter marriages between them. The population is about 40,000 to 45,000. The language spoken by the Kupari community is called Kadodi
, which is a mixed dialect of Marathi
, Konkani
, and with very few words derived from Portuguese. 97% of this population is Roman Catholic, and the remaining minority is a mixed population of various Christian
Protestant sects. Education along with religion and missionary works has helped upliftment of the Samvedi Christian community . They have 100% literacy rate.
The Samvedi Christian community came into existence during the Portuguese rule of Vasai in 15th century when most of the Samvedi Brahmans forcefully converted to Christianity as their possessions were confiscated and they were ostracized by orthodox Brahmans. Smavedi Christians are originally Samvedi Brahmans. Their language is known as the Samvedi language which is a mixed dialect of Marathi, Gujarati. Till the late 1960s and early 1970s the population was highly dependent on farming.
The Samvedi Christian community is mostly concentrated around these parish
es in northern Vasai:
also called "ponya" in local language, white shirt, black sleeveless jacket kabja and a red cap with earring vali
pierced in the left ear for men, and a red blouse soli
with red checkered kashta also called "lugadaa"(a type of sari
for women.
, medicine
, and corporate enterprises. A considerable amount of the Kupari population has relocated to the North America
, Europe
, Middle East
and Australia
.
, which is about 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) north of Mumbai
. The population is about 40,000 to 45,000. Rough estimate of this population around North America
is around 300 and around Middle East
is of about 150.
In 1548, St. Francisco Xavier stopped in Bassein to preach. This marked the advent of Christianity into Bassein. Bread Buns, (locally as called pav) played a key role in conversions. Bread being fermented food was considered unholy by local Hindus then. Missionaries with motive of conversions added Pav to the drinking water sources like well thus making it unusable for Hindus. Unaware Hindus, tricked into drinking water from these wells were excommunicated by orthodox Brahmin community and declared as untouchables. These outcast Hindu were then converted by Christian missionaries (Roman Catholic) with promises of land, other monitory benefit, better status, etc. The churches distributed the seized land amongst east Indians. Along with new names and dress codes the new converts were also endowed with political upper hand during Portugal rule. Today these missionaries also run Schools and hospitals benefiting both Christian and non-Christian. Despite initial hostility the converts and Hindus are happily sharing their neighbourhood.
During this period Portuguese built 3 churches in present day northern bassein for these converts:Manickpur (1530), Nirmal (1557), Agashi (1568), Nandakhal (1573). All these churches are still used by the Christian community of Vasai.
As respect to their Hindu roots they abstain from beef consumption
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, which is about 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) north of Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. Kupari Ancestors were Mixture of Samvedic Brahmins, Goans and Portuguese because of inter marriages between them. The population is about 40,000 to 45,000. The language spoken by the Kupari community is called Kadodi
Kadodi
Kadodi is the language spoken by the Kupari community in Vasai, Maharashtra, India. It is also called Samvedic. It may be a divergent dialect ofKonkani, with Marathi and Gujarati influence....
, which is a mixed dialect of Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
, Konkani
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
, and with very few words derived from Portuguese. 97% of this population is Roman Catholic, and the remaining minority is a mixed population of various Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Protestant sects. Education along with religion and missionary works has helped upliftment of the Samvedi Christian community . They have 100% literacy rate.
The Samvedi Christian community came into existence during the Portuguese rule of Vasai in 15th century when most of the Samvedi Brahmans forcefully converted to Christianity as their possessions were confiscated and they were ostracized by orthodox Brahmans. Smavedi Christians are originally Samvedi Brahmans. Their language is known as the Samvedi language which is a mixed dialect of Marathi, Gujarati. Till the late 1960s and early 1970s the population was highly dependent on farming.
The Samvedi Christian community is mostly concentrated around these parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es in northern Vasai:
- Nirmal
- Agashi
- Nandakhal
- Gass
- Bhuigaon
- Umrala
- Nanbhat
- Shrilaiwadi
- Bolinj
- Mardes
- Wagholi
- Gomes Ali
- Rajodi
Costume
The traditional costume of the Samvedi christian community consists of a dhotiDhoti
The dhoti or pancha is the traditional men's garment in the in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A similar garment is worn in some rural areas of Punjab province in Pakistan, but the use is fast declining...
also called "ponya" in local language, white shirt, black sleeveless jacket kabja and a red cap with earring vali
Vali
Vali or Wali can refer to:* Váli * Váli* Vali * The Vali tribe, a Sarmatian tribe of Ptolemy* Ferenc A. Váli, Hungarian-born lawyer, author and political analyst* Al-Walee, one of the Names of God in the Qur'an...
pierced in the left ear for men, and a red blouse soli
Soli
Soli can refer to:* Soli, Cyprus, an ancient city on the island of Cyprus.* Soli, Cilicia, an ancient city in Cilicia, later renamed Pompeiopolis.* Soli, a 10th century name for Tuzla, a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina....
with red checkered kashta also called "lugadaa"(a type of sari
Sari
A sari or sareeThe name of the garment in various regional languages include: , , , , , , , , , , , , , is a strip of unstitched cloth, worn by females, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Bangladesh, Nepal,...
for women.
Traditions
- Baltim (Baptism:This is a traditional christian ritual wherein a newborn is baptised to free him from the original sin of Adam and Eve)
- Komsar (Confession:One of the seven sacraments, also known as penance)
- Cominyao (First Holy Communion)
- Hamdao (Associated with marriage:People from the grooms side send a garland for the bride and traditional sweets to be distributed in the locality, just before the wedding bands are announced in the church)
- Lagin (Wedding)
- Saudio (Celebration next to wedding day:A day reserved for all the people who have helped in organizing the wedding feast.)
- Haira (Engagement)
Recipes
- Variety of fish gravies (specially BombilBombay duckThe Bombay duck or bummalo is, despite its name, not a duck but a lizardfish. It is native to the waters between Mumbai and Kutch in the Arabian Sea, and a small number are also found in the Bay of Bengal. Great numbers are also caught in the South China Sea...
) - Indel (specially prepared meat/fish to last for certain days) anglicized vidialo
- Vade/talnayo rotyoBondaBonda is a typical South Indian snack that has various sweet and spicy versions of it at different regions.-Preparation:The process of making a spicy bonda involves deep-frying potato filling dipped in gram flour batter.Bonda has a sweet and a spicy variant...
(fried bread made from mixture of flours) - Dhapti (steamed bread made from mixture of flours and vegetables)
- Hingoli (traditional specialty, similar to pita bread with traditional sweet filling, deep fried in vegetable oil)
- Fogey (Portuguese spherical bread)
- Dodal ( Portuguese Sweet)
- Fuddi ( Portuguese feijoada (typical dish made with pork))
- SannaSanna (rice cakes)Sannas, are a spongy, white, and slightly sweet steamed rice and coconut bread. They are considered to be a Goan variant of idli, a South Indian dish....
(Rice Bread) - Karji (traditional specialty)
- Laadu(local spherical sweet)
Festivals
- Natal(Festival of nativity christmasChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
) - EasterEasterEaster is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
- Pali FiestaFestivalA festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
- Bandra FiestaFestivalA festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
- San Jao
SAMVEDI CHRISTIANS today
Samvedi christians have been well educated for generations. They are hardworking, which aids their ventures in a variety of sectors. In recent years Kuparis have shown transition towards various sectors, including engineeringEngineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, and corporate enterprises. A considerable amount of the Kupari population has relocated to the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Population and Distribution
This community is concentrated mostly in Bassein , IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, which is about 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) north of Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. The population is about 40,000 to 45,000. Rough estimate of this population around North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
is around 300 and around Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
is of about 150.
Ethnicity
Most of the kuparis have their ancestry through samvedi brahmin community while some trace few relations in neighbouring vadvalite community as well as goan community due to inter communal marriages. Minor traces of Portuguese ancestry in this community cannot be denied due to Portuguese intercommunal marriages during Portuguese rule as in case of St. Gonsalo Garcia.Names of people
- Farsha, Faraashi (Francis)
- Duma (Domnic)
- Ludrik (Rodrigues)
- Damel (D'mello)
- Lop (Lopes)
- Pedru, Pedar (Peter)
- mot,(dmonte)
History
On 23 December 1534, the Sultan of Gujarat, signed a treaty with the Portuguese and ceded Bassein with its dependencies of Salsette, Mombaim (Bombay), Parel, Vadala, Shiv (Sion), Vorli (Worli), Mazagao (Mazgao), Thane, Vandre(Bandra), Mahim, Caranja.In 1548, St. Francisco Xavier stopped in Bassein to preach. This marked the advent of Christianity into Bassein. Bread Buns, (locally as called pav) played a key role in conversions. Bread being fermented food was considered unholy by local Hindus then. Missionaries with motive of conversions added Pav to the drinking water sources like well thus making it unusable for Hindus. Unaware Hindus, tricked into drinking water from these wells were excommunicated by orthodox Brahmin community and declared as untouchables. These outcast Hindu were then converted by Christian missionaries (Roman Catholic) with promises of land, other monitory benefit, better status, etc. The churches distributed the seized land amongst east Indians. Along with new names and dress codes the new converts were also endowed with political upper hand during Portugal rule. Today these missionaries also run Schools and hospitals benefiting both Christian and non-Christian. Despite initial hostility the converts and Hindus are happily sharing their neighbourhood.
During this period Portuguese built 3 churches in present day northern bassein for these converts:Manickpur (1530), Nirmal (1557), Agashi (1568), Nandakhal (1573). All these churches are still used by the Christian community of Vasai.
Paya bharni
This is the ceremony that is conducted when the foundation stone for a house has been laid. Ceremony begins with the burial of some jewellery into the earth and breaking of a coconut the priest then makes some prayers and blesses its construction. This ceremony has its roots in the Hindu tradition of bhoomi pujan.Bejimat
Bejimat is the ceremony conducted during the inauguration of a new home. During this ceremony a priest is invited to a home who then prays before the people sprinkles holy water throughout the home and blesses it.Yentar
This ceremony is conducted when final funeral rites are given to a person. This is conducted in a church followed by prayers and burial at a cemetery.Saatvoh
This ceremony is conducted on the seventh day of a funeral. During this the affected family dedicates a mass for the dead this is followed by a dining service at the family's place which usually includes meat and alcohol to mark the passing of sorrow.Upas
This is the fast carried out during the lent season of 40 days.As respect to their Hindu roots they abstain from beef consumption