St Thomas Day 2025: History, Tradition And Yeshu Bhakti Divas Observance In India
St Thomas Day 2025: St Thomas Day was originally celebrated on December 21 as it was traditionally considered the date of his death.
St Thomas Day 2025: St Thomas Day is observed globally on July 3. The celebration honours Saint Thomas, who was believed to be one of the 12 Apostles of Jesus Christ. The missionary is regarded as the patron saint of India. St Thomas Day was originally celebrated on December 21 as it was traditionally considered the date of his death. However, in 1969, the Roman Catholic Church moved the observance to July 3.
St Thomas Day 2025: History
It is said that St Thomas had arrived in India in 52 AD. He is credited with propagating the gospel of Jesus as far as the Indian subcontinent. Even though the date of the special day commemorating his life and legacy was changed in the latter half of the 20th century, most Anglicans stuck with the original date of the observance. The Eastern Orthodox Church, on the other hand, observes the occasion on October 6.
St Thomas Day 2025: Significance
St Thomas was allegedly stabbed to death at the Parangimalai hillock in present-day Chennai in AD 72. The site is now known as Saint Thomas Mount. It is believed that St Thomas's initial skepticism about the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the reason why he was given the nickname 'Doubting Thomas".
He supposedly landed on the coastline of Kerala, at a location in present-day Thrissur district, when he reached India. Various religious texts reckon that Saint Thomas laid the foundation of Christianity in India and evangelised the populace of Malabar Coast.
St Thomas Day 2025: Traditions
Legend has it that St Thomas distributed among the poor the money that he was allotted when he was commissioned by an Indian king to construct a palace. In line with this particular tale, several customs associated with St Thomas Day seek to encourage charity. Special masses and prayer services are also hosted to mark the occasion. Regions with notable presence of Syrian Christians also witness special processions on St Thomas Day.
Yeshu Bhakti Divas Observance In India
Indian Christians celebrate Yeshu Bhakti Divas, also known as Indian Christian, on July 3. It is a relatively new observance. Aligned with St Thomas Day, Yeshu Bhakti Divas is meant as an annual occasion for Indian Christians to celebrate the 'person and message' of Jesus Christ.
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Bhaswati Sengupta
First Published:
July 03, 2025, 06:03 IST
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