The Jewish community in India was one of the smallest and least persecuted Jewish communities in the world; this led to a unique celebration of Purim, which often included members of other religious communities in the region, from Hindu to Christian to Muslim.
Hebrew University researchers led by Professor Shlava Weill published a new study in the Journal of Modern Jewish Studies describing many of the unique and particular celebrations of Purim by the Cochin Jewish community.
The celebrations have been heavily influenced by the local Hindu community as well as being outside the control of Christian authorities for the vast majority of their existence.
Like in many communities, Purim is a time during which the regular social order is up-ended; for the Cochini community, this means overthrowing the established caste structure and allowing members of the community to participate without restrictions.
Upending the caste system
One of the aspects the Cochini community adopted from the local Hindu community was the caste system, in which the circumstances of one's birth impact one's ability to participate in religious and social activities.
The term used for these distinctions was "jati," which can be translated as a variety of terms from tribe to clan to caste, but in this case is often translated as caste.
The two major Jewish communities in the region were the Paradesi Jews, who were made up of refugees from Spain and Portugal following the expulsion edict in 1492, and the Cochin or Malabar Jews, who claim to have been present since the times of King Solomon but physical evidence only stretches as far back as the 9th century CE.
These two groups were called "White Jews" by the Portuguese, while their freed slaves were called "Black Jews" due to being the descendants of freed African slaves and Jews.
The adoption of freed slaves into the Jewish community is a practice that traces its origins back to the Babylonian Talmud, in which selling Jews to non-Jews is forbidden and requires the slave to be freed under the condition of conversion.
This tradition led to the creation of a caste distinction between White Jews called Meyuchasim (privileged people) and Black Jews called Meshuchrarim (freed people).
The restrictions on Meshucharim varied over time, but they were restricted from practicing certain elements of their religion in imitation of similar Hindu practices.
"Meshuchrarim were not allowed to be 'called up' to read the weekly portion of the Torah or to participate as equals in a minyan," the researchers write.
These distinctions were effectively abolished in the early 20th century, thanks to the activism of Abraham Barak Salem, who became the first Meshuchrar to receive a degree and be called to read from the Torah.
Part of the Cochini Purim involved violating these distinctions; Meshuchrarim were permitted to read the megillah at home and participate in the burning of effigies of Haman as well as the throwing of paint.
In stark contrast to the rest of the year, the social taboo placed on mixed-caste prayers was lifted, and Meshuchrarim and Paradesi sang and prayed together.
Effigy burning
Effigy burning is another distinct element of the Cochini Purim celebrations. Traditionally, an effigy of Haman was constructed, paraded through the streets, and then beaten, stoned, and eventually burned at the culmination of the celebrations. In the 20th century, the effigy was sometimes replaced with one of an infamous anti-Jewish world leader, with Hitler becoming the primary target of scorn, followed by Gamel Abdel Nasser after the Suez Crises in the 1950s.
The academics argue that the prominence of effigy burning in the Cochini community was a direct result of the lack of persecution of the community by Christian authorities.
During the period of Portuguese control over Cochin, the practice of effigy burning was persecuted by the Catholic inquisition because the Portuguese saw a similarity between the effigy and the crucifixion of Jesus.
This connection seems to have taken root in the Jewish conscioussness, as the researchers cite the 1952 account of Louis Rabinowitz, the Chief Rabbi of Transvaal in South Africa, who during a visit to Cochin on Purim saw a group of intoxicated Jews had entered a nearby Roman Catholic Church and burn an statue of the Virgin Mary.
This was confirmed by a local Christian who was interviewed about the event in 2008, although he excused this by saying that this was the one time in the year they became excessively drunk.
This apparent act of sacrilage seems to have been a strong theme during Cochini Purim celebrations, with both Paradesi and Malabari Jews breaking into the others' synagogues and stealing their Torahs.
Throwing paint
Another unique element of the Cochini Purim celebrations was the apparent syncretism with the Hindu festival of Holi, much like the Jews of Europe syncretised their celebrations of Purim with the Christian pre-Lent holiday of Carneval, which similarly involves costume-dressing, social role reversal, and excessive drinking.
The researchers liken Holi to Carneval, saying, "This Hindu carnival of carousing and role reversals celebrates the defeat of the goddess Holika, and the triumph of the god Krishna with his female companions in the forests of Vrindavana, permitting the subjugated to attack their superiors in jest."
Holi is often celebrated by throwing colorful paint on all passersby, again breaking and reversing the strict social order enforced by Hinduism.
Cochini Purim was similarly celebrated by the throwing of red paint on all passersby, regardless of religion.
The researchers also suggest a similarity between the burning of the effigy of Haman and the Hindu practice of burning murti, a type of idol representing an "evil" figure, which was then ritually burnt to symbolize the victory of good over evil.
A fading tradition
These unique traditions have slowly faded from memory following the creation of Israel. The Cochini Jewish community slowly began to give up the more unique elements of its celebrations in order to build cultural unity with the wider Jewish diaspora.
By the late 60s, the majority of the Cochin Jewish community had made aliyah and began integrating with Jewish communities throughout the country.
As intermarriage with other Jewish groups became more common, the traditions began to disappear.
As the researchers say, "Cochin Jewish children in Israel get dressed up on Purim as cowboys, Queen Esther, soldiers, or the latest television cult figures, such as Superman, Postman Pat, Fireman Sammy, ninjas, or Wonder Woman. They attend parties at school or in the kindergarten and swap the triangular 'Haman’s ears' cakes; religious Jews read the megillah in synagogues and hold a festive dinner (seudah) in their homes."
The researchers lament that as Jewish communities adopt a more globalized, centralized form of Judaism, these more "localized, bounded communities" will begin to disappear, and their traditions will be lost.