Kupari

Kupari(Meaning God Father (Portuguese) Word derived from Kumpari [ [http://www.websters-dictionary-online.org/translation/kumpari kumpari ] ] compadre [http://www.proz.com/kudoz/812894] [ [http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=655816 comadre/compadre - WordReference Forums ] ] ) This community is concentrated mostly in Bassein BAÇAIM(Vasai) [ [http://www.colonialvoyage.com/bacaimvasaiphotos.html Baçaim, Bassein, Vasai. A Portuguese City Fortress In India ] ] , India, which is about 60 kilometers north of Mumbai. The population is about 40,000 to 45,000. The language spoken by the Kupari community is called Kadodi or Samvedic [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathi_language#Samavedi] , which is a mixed dialect of Marathi, Konkani, and Marwari with very few words derived from Portuguese, and which is similar to the language spoken by their counterparts the Samvedic Brahmin community. 97% of this population is Roman Catholic [ [http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/dvasa.html Vasai (Diocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy ] ] , and the remaining minority is a mixed population of various Christian Protestant sects. Education along with religion has helped upliftment of the Kupari society.

History

The Kupari community came into existence during the Portuguese rule of Vasai during the 15th century when most of the Samvedic Brahmins were converted to Christianity. Till the late 1960s and early 1970s the population was highly dependent on farming. The Kupari community is mostly concentrated around these villages in northern Vasai: [http://kuparicommunity.org/page2.html]

*Nirmal
*Agashi
*Nandakhal
*Gass
*Bhuigaon
*Umraala
*Naanbhat
*Shrilaiwadi
*Bolinj
*Mardes
*Wagholi
*Gomes Ali
*Rajodi

Costume

The traditional costume of the Kupari consists of a dhoti, white shirt, black sleeveless jacket and a red cap with earring pierced in the left ear for men, and a red blouse with red checkered kashta (a type of sari) for women. [ [http://www.vasaikar.org/content/view/51/ Images of traditional costume] ]

Traditions

*Baltim (Baptism)
*Komsar (First Holy Communion)
*Hamdav (Associated with marriage)
*Lagin (Wedding)
*Saudio (Celebration next to wedding day)

Recipes

*Variety of fish gravies (specially Bombil)
*Indel (specially prepared meat/fish to last for certain days) anglicized vidialo
*Vade (fried item made from mixture of flours)
*Dhapti (steamed item made from mixture of flours and vegetables)
*Hingoli (traditional specialty)
*Fogey (portuguese spherical bread)
*Dodal ( Portuguese Sweet)
*Fuddi( Portugueuse feijoada (typical plate made with pork))
*Sanna (Rice Bread)

Kuparis today

Kuparis have been well educated for generations. They are hardworking, which aids their ventures in a variety of sectors. In recent years Kuparis have shown transition towards various sectors, including engineering, medicine, and corporate enterprises. A considerable amount of the Kupari population has relocated to the United States, Europe, and Australia.

ee also

*East Indians (ethnic group)
*Portuguese India
*Marathi people
*Vasai

References

External links

* [http://kuparicommunity.org/ Roman Catholic Kupari Community site]