The number of Syrian Christians from Kerala living outside their home state may probably be around 25 percent. They include those settled or working abroad and those employed or settled in various parts of the country. Ooty, Mangalore, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Kolkata are some of the places in India where the presence of Syrian Christians is more visible. A majority of those settled abroad are found in United States of America, Canada, Western Europe, Australia and the Middle East, We can broadly classify the Indian Syrian Christians who live outside Kerala into three types.
First generation of Syrian Christians who migrated out of Kerala:- They are people who were born and brought up in Kerala and migrated outside for business or employment. These people usually manage to locate other Syrian Christians belonging to their own sect at their newly adopted surroundings and continue to follow the same values and traditions in which they had been brought up. They will also try their best to make their children follow their path. When it comes to the question of marriage, they would most certainly marry someone of their own sect from Kerala and later they would also try to locate a suitable Syrian Christian spouse for their children from Kerala.
The generation of Syrian Christians born and brought up outside Kerala:- These people, although they may have imbibed most of the Syrian Christian values and traditions from their parents, they would have been more exposed to the local influence than their parents when it came to language, choice of food etc. They also would not have had much of an opportunity to witness or appreciate the unique rituals and formalities of the Syrian Christians that are connected with a festivals or celebrations in Kerala. When the question of marriage arise, although their parents may like to have a spouse for their son or daughter from Kerala, it is found that these children would prefer to marry someone like them who was also born and brought up outside Kerala.
A majority of the next generations of Syrian Christian may grow up without having much of a desire to follow the old traditions. They may continue to go to church on Sundays but would find it extremely boring and some of them would end up attending church services occasionally or may go to a church where they need not spend much time. It is also seen that there are many who avoid going to church altogether. These people may not be particular about marrying someone from a particular Christian sect. Some would also end up taking a partner from other religions.
First generation of Syrian Christians who migrated out of Kerala:- They are people who were born and brought up in Kerala and migrated outside for business or employment. These people usually manage to locate other Syrian Christians belonging to their own sect at their newly adopted surroundings and continue to follow the same values and traditions in which they had been brought up. They will also try their best to make their children follow their path. When it comes to the question of marriage, they would most certainly marry someone of their own sect from Kerala and later they would also try to locate a suitable Syrian Christian spouse for their children from Kerala.
The generation of Syrian Christians born and brought up outside Kerala:- These people, although they may have imbibed most of the Syrian Christian values and traditions from their parents, they would have been more exposed to the local influence than their parents when it came to language, choice of food etc. They also would not have had much of an opportunity to witness or appreciate the unique rituals and formalities of the Syrian Christians that are connected with a festivals or celebrations in Kerala. When the question of marriage arise, although their parents may like to have a spouse for their son or daughter from Kerala, it is found that these children would prefer to marry someone like them who was also born and brought up outside Kerala.
A majority of the next generations of Syrian Christian may grow up without having much of a desire to follow the old traditions. They may continue to go to church on Sundays but would find it extremely boring and some of them would end up attending church services occasionally or may go to a church where they need not spend much time. It is also seen that there are many who avoid going to church altogether. These people may not be particular about marrying someone from a particular Christian sect. Some would also end up taking a partner from other religions.
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