the saint thomas christians (also known as nasrani or syrian christians) from kerala, south india still follow much jewish christian tradition. in nasrani tradition the holy of holies is kept veiled for much of the time. the red veil covers the inner altar or the main altar. it is unveiled only during the central part of the main nasrani ritual. the main ritual of the saint thomas christians is the qurbana (derived from the syriac word "qurobo" meaning "sacrifice").