Religious and Cultural Appropriation by Christian Missionaries in India
“Don’t tell anyone, but on the pagan day of the sun god Ra, I kneel at the foot of an ancient instrument of torture and consume ritualistic symbols of blood and flesh. …And if any of you care to join me, come to the Harvard chapel on Sunday, kneel beneath the crucifix, and take Holy Communion.”
The above cited is one of the famous quotes from The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, the author of Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code. Even though the quote was said by the popular symbologist “Robert Langdon” to make his point to his students that “we all are scared of what we don’t understand”, it is also a perfect example of religious appropriation. A lot of customs and rituals of Christianity have their origin in old pagan religions.
Missionaries often used myths and cultural aspects of old Germanic populations to convert them to Christianity, and a 9th-century manuscript, titled Heliand, is an example of this method. It’s an epic poem, most probably written by a monk from the monastery of Fulda, that depicts the life story of Christ, but in a Germanic way of storytelling. Heliand puts in front of the Saxons a Saviour King who saves them from every danger, protects them, and governs them. So, here, Christ is depicted as a brave warrior with his warrior companions, instead of as the son of god with his disciples. The reason? convey the Christian message to the Saxons through an environment familiar to them.
Centuries later, this was the same method used by the Christian missionaries in India.
Christians are still a minority in India. Most of their population exists in North-East Indian states, in Goa, and Kerala. If you ever attend any Christian functions in India, especially in Kerala, you can find how different they are from the European Christian ceremonies. The similarity between a Hindu wedding and a Christian wedding in Kerala is surprising. The only different thing is the presence of a priest and the prayers. From the “Thaali kettu” to the exchange of flower garlands and the “Griha pravesha” of the bride, everything is taken from the traditional Hindu wedding ceremony.
The groom has to tie a necklace around the bride’s neck called Thaali (not to be confused with Thali which means plate), then exchange the rings, and lastly, exchange the garlands. The groom also gifts a Saree called Manthra kodi to the bride to wear after the church rituals during the ceremony, which is usually red, brown, blue, or green. These colored Sarees are also common for a Hindu bride. Before the feast in the groom’s home, the bride has to enter her in-laws’ home with her right foot, holding a candle or a traditional lamp in her hand. Thus announcing the arrival of prosperity.
The same similarities can be found in funeral rituals. On the seventh day of someone’s death, the relatives and friends have to pray and eat together, and usually, there won’t be held any happy functions in the family for a year. Some people even stay away from such functions held in other families even if they are invited.
Art forms were also influenced to help spread the Christian message in the Indian subcontinent and to convert Indians to Christianity. For example, Chavittu Nadakam, a Christian art form in Kerala, was created by a Christian missionary to tell biblical stories and Roman warrior stories to bring the locals close to the Bible. It’s a fusion of Opera and Kerala Hindu art forms, such as Koodiyattam and Kathakali. In other words, Indian Christians are still partly following their Hindu culture, knowingly or unknowingly.
