By Lissy Maruthanakuzhy

New Delhi, Dec 6, 2025: On October 29, more than 50,0000 people of different religions thronged a parish in Kerala.

What drew them to St John the Baptist Church in Nedumkunnam, a parish under Changanacherry archdiocese, was a unique offering, or nercha, served on its annual feast day.

“It took only 10-15 minutes to serve Puzhukku Nercha to all the devotees,” said Father Varghese Kaithaparambil, the current parish priest.

“Puzhukku” is a traditional Kerala dish made by cooking vegetables such as tapioca, yam, or banana meat or fish to create a savory, mashed preparation.

“Nercha” is a vow or offering, often involving food distribution during festivals or feasts.

Father Kaithaparambil said the organizers seated the people in lines before serving the nercha, as Jesus did before feeding the multitude.

Father Varghese Kaithaparambil, the current parish priest, says the custom of serving food to parishioners who come for Sunday Mass was started after the church was built in 1803 by the Portuguese navigators as an expression of gratitude.

They were in danger at sea and promised to build a church in southern India.

“They were saved and Nedumkunnam was fortunate to have this church,” Father Kaithaparambil said.

The parish is more than 15 km northeast of Changanacherry, the archdiocesan headquarters.

The priest said theirs is the only church dedicated to St John the Baptist in the archdiocese.

When the parish was opened people came walking from faraway places for Sunday Mass and rested in the church premises.

The parish priest fed them with rice.

Rice became scarce during the Second World War, and the then parish priest served people whatever was available in the parish. The priest asked the parishioners to make “puzhukku” and serve it as “nercha.”

“Every year the number of people increases. This year, we had more than 50,000 people on the feast day,” Joychan Cherusseril, a parish trustee, told Matters India on December 6.

During the war years, the parish served food to all people who came for the feast.

As the feast’s popularity grew, the church began the nercha preparations weeks ahead.

“As the years went by it became like a vow not only for the parishioners, but for all in the area. Some even claimed to have experienced healing after consuming the puzhuku nercha,” the parish priest said.

Now, people from all over Kerala come for the feast, Father Kaithaparambil added.

Around 10 years ago, the parish started the “ara nirakkal” (filling the larder) procession where all living in the parish area, irrespective of religion, bring in procession to the church the ingredients needed for the nercha.

The parish forms various committees to manage the cooking and distribution.

“We cook the puzhukku only on firewood stoves,” Cherusseril said.

The parish uses around 35 large copper vessels for cooking, which begins at 2 am with a prayer by the parish priest.

The cooked food is kept in bamboo baskets.

Men and women, including nuns serving in the parish, sit in groups to chop vegetables and meat.

The food is served only on teakwood leaves, which are collected, washed, dried and preserved in advance, the trustee explained.

The devotees also carry nercha shares to their homes.