It is believed that the Jews of Kerala migrated here
in the 1st after the second temple of Jerusalem was destroyed in 72 AD.
The Jewish community settled mainly in and around Mattancherry, Kochi
and brought with them the Jewish customs and festivals. The Passover
Festival is celebrated annually to commemorate the liberation of Jews
from Egyptian slavery followed by the Pentecost Festival and the feast
of the Tabernacles. Then, there are their New Year celebration in
September or October and Hanukkah, the 'festival of lights' too.
Passover or Pesach festival is celebrated by the Jews in March or April
as possibly sprung up as a Spring festival originally until it became
related with the escape of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
Pentecost is usually celebrated on the fiftieth day of the Passover ans
was originally an Old Testament festival related to agriculture and was
celebrated in order to welcome the Spring. However, in the early New
Testament period, it somehow became associated with the celebration of
God's creation of His people and his gracious gift of the law on Mount
Sinai. Feast of Tabernacles is one of the oldest festivals of the Jews.
It is known as the Feast of Ingathering in the Bible and in Hebrew, it
is known as Sukkoth. Similarly, Hanukkah is the jewish Feast of
Dedication.
