Pesaha Appam is the unleavenedPassover bread made by the Saint Thomas Christians (also known as Syrian Christians or Nasrani) of Kerala, India to be served onPassover night. It is served on passover night of Maundy Thursday. Pesaha appam is made from rice batter like Palappam, but it is not fermented with yeast in its preparation. Traditionally, Pesaha Appam is served in a ceremonial manner on Passover night in Syrian Christian households. The head of the family cuts the appam, dips it in paalukurukku (syrup) or Pesaha Pal (Passover milk), and serves it to the other family members. The Pesaha Appam is derived from the ancient bread of Jewish tradition. It has survived and continued as a tradition by the Nasranis that migrated to Kerala from the levant in the early days of Jewish Christianity. During Passover the Saint Thomas Nasrani Christian prepare bread without yeast in accordance with the Jewish commemoration of Pesaha or Passover. This unleavened bread is prepared only for Passover and is called as Pesaha Appam or Passover unleavened bread. This was also followed by the Malabar Yehuden or Malabar Jews of Kerala. Pesaha pal (passover milk) is served along with Pesaha Appam on the night of Passover. Some families have the custom of singing traditional Kerala Nasrani Christian songs on passover night. This tradition of Pesaha appam was observed by the entire Nasrani people until Portuguese persecution as well as the Cochin Jews

Malaylee Lady in Traditional Dress

A mapillah! Malabar Year:1926-1933 Photographer:Unknown Source :University of Southern California Digital Library.

The muslims in Kerala are called ” Mapillah”! They brought a very rich culture with them when they migrated to Kerala! They were not only powerful and rich but played a very important role in the Kerala society!I am talking about Arab settlers who came even before the portughese! when the portughese arrived in Kerala they had to get permissions not only from the Hindu rajas but also from the very powerful muslim ” Zomarins” of Calicut!

Mission Church in Cotschi (Cochin). Year : 1850-1897 Photographer: Unknown. Source :University of Southern California Digital Library.

Some of the churches built by the missionaries stand even today!! some in ruins!!

Thali Temple, Kozhikode-Street Scene Year:1900s Photographer :Unknown Source:University of Souther California Digital Library

Some of the Hindu temples of Kerala ( and also in the rest of India) are so old that its difficult to date them!! and there are thousands of them all over India dedicated to the millions of gods!

Dhow!(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhow)

Dhow (Arabic داو dāw) is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with lateen sails used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Historians are divided as to whether the dhow was invented by Arabs.[1][2] Typically sporting long thin hulls, dhows are trading vessels primarily used to carry heavy items, like fruit, fresh water or merchandise, along the coasts of the Arabian Peninsula, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and East Africa. Larger dhows have crews of approximately thirty, smaller ones typically around twelve.The exact origins of the dhow are lost to history. Most scholars believe that it originated in China from 600 B.C. to 600 A.D. Some scholars claim that the sambuk, a type of dhow, may be derived from the Portuguese caravel.[3]
Traditionally Yemeni Hadhrami people, as well as Omanis, came to Beypore, Kerala, India along the centuries in order to build dhows. The reasons were the availability of good timber in the forests of Kerala, the availability of good coir rope and also the presence of skilled carpenters specialized in ship building. Formerly the sheathing planks of a dhow’s hull were held together by coconut rope instead of nails. Beypore dhows are known as ‘Uru’ in Malayalam, the local language of Kerala. Settlers from Yemen, later known as ‘Baramis’, are still active in the uru business in Kerala.[4]
Captain Alan Villiers (1903–1982) documented the days of sailing trade in the Indian Ocean by sailing on dhows between 1938 and 1939 taking numerous photographs and publishing books on the subject of dhow navigation.[5][6]
Even to the present day, dhows make commercial journeys between the Persian Gulf and East Africa using sails as their only means of propulsion. Their cargo is mostly dates and fish to East Africa and mangrove timber to the lands in the Persian Gulf. They often sail south with the monsoon in winter or early spring, and back again to Arabia in late spring or early summer.[citation needed]
[edit]Navigation

For celestial navigation dhow sailors have traditionally used the kamal, an observation device that determines latitude by finding the angle of the Pole Star above the horizon( wikipedia)

A Malabar mosque Year: 1901-1920 Photographer : Unknown Source : University of Southern California Digital Library

The Arabs had been trading with India long before the portughese arrived. They were known for their “Dhows” which were very sturdy . It was the Arabs who guided the portughese to Calicut when they reached the Arabian sea. If it had not been for the Arabs they would not have found Kerala. What really surprised the portughese when they arrived in Kerala was that christianity already had reached it shores ,as well as islam! Here we see a mosque that has been adapted to the local culture and architecture!

Culuthayouritee [Kalthuritty] River,Kollam , Kerala Year : 1900 Photographer : Archaeological Survey of India Source : British Library

A scene from my home town in 1900

where is the YWCA??

Y.M.C.A Calicut.
Year:1914
Photographer:Unknown
Source:University of Southern California Digital Library.
(This photo might be subject to copyright )

Description by photographer : Harbor in Cotschi (Cochin) with peculiar fishing instruments. Year :1850-97 Photographer :Dengler,Gothiff Source:University of Southern California Digital Library

The chinese fishing nets existed since the time of Marco polo and still exists even to this day!!