Eternal India Encyclopedia

FESTIVALS AND FAIRS

Eternal India encyclopedia

(Three Kings) celebrated on Epiphany (January 6) and the feasts dedicated to Our Lady on December 8 and February 2. On Monday after the fifth Sunday in Lent, the Franciscan Third Order holds a very colourful procession in Old Goa with more than 40 statues of saints taken out for the occasion. The most animated of all holi- days, Carnival, lasts during the three days before Lent begins, and at Carnival time everyone seems to be playing a guitar or dancing in fancy dress - sometimes both at once. SOUTH The two big all-India festivals, Dussehra (September-October) and Diwali (October-November) are celebrated in the south in differ- ent contexts. Dussehra in the north is celebrated as the triumph of Rama over Ravana but in Karnataka where it is a 10-day affair, the victory of good over evil is seen as the goddess Chamundeswari's triumph over the demon Mahisashura. Dasara , as the festival is called in Karnataka, can be seen at its best in the royal city of Mysore where 10 days of pageantry come to a climax on Vijayadasami day with a spectacular parade of caparisoned elephants, horses and tableaux. The parade ends with fireworks. A cultural programme of Yakshagana dance-drama, Bharatanatyam classical dance and Carnatic and Hin- dustani music is held at the same time. In the north, Diwali (October, November) is celebrated to mark the return of Rama to Ayodhya. In the south Deepavali, as it is known, is the triumph of Krishna over the demon Narakasura. The celebrations begin at dawn when the demon was slain. Fireworks are set off, lights are lit, oil baths taken, new clothes donned and sweet meats ex- changed between relations, friends and neighbours. KARNATAKA Dasara (or Dussehra as it is called in the North) comes from a Sanskrit word meaning "ten nights". The Mysore Dussehra is rightly famous for its pomp and pageantry handed down by the 16th century rulers of the Vijayariagar Empire. The ten-day festival, dependent on the lunar calendar, begins sometime in October with the Maharajah's palace in Mysore being lit up by countless electric bulbs. Festivities culminate on the 10th day when camel corps, cavalry and infantry parade in the most brilliant, gala uniforms. The Kodavas of the Coorg District have their own colourful folk dances, like the Huthri and Bilakat (dance round the light). Suggi, popular in North Coorg and associated with the harvest, comes in April. The Banjaras in the mountainous regions and valleys and forest areas of the state have their own dances. One of the earliest forms of folk art in Karnataka State is the rustic play (dance-drama) known as Yakshagana which dates back to the 12th or 13th century. The texts have been handed down from father to son for hundreds of years. Karaga (April) a spectacular festival at Bangalore. The Veer Kumars (devotees) go in procession as an incarnation of primordial power with swords. Feast of St. Philomena (August 11th) - a decorated image of St. Philomena is taken out in a procession through Mysore City. Hazrat Khwaja Bande Nawaz Chisti Urs, Sufi saint: a religious and cultural celebration of Muslims at Gulbarga (October/November)

days (August/September). Caparisoned elephants take part in processions and there is a good deal of feasting, singing and dancing. Held around the same time are the Vallomkali (snake) boat races at Alleppey on the second Saturday of August every year and the mammoth snake boat processions forming a part of the temple festivals at Aranamula and Papiyad. The most spectacular Kerala temple festival is the Pooram at Trichur (April-May) when two goddesses Paramikkavu and Thiruvambady, and eight other deities are honoured. Thirty elephants take part in a morning procession dressed up in nattipatams (gold-plated chain mail) with priests seated on them holding the deity, silk parasols and peacock feather fans. This is repeated in the evening after sunset. Flaming torches light up the route of the procession. There is a fireworks display which goes on till dawn. The following morning the elephants assemble again, there are three hours of drumming and then more fireworks. Kerala is the home of Kathakali, one of India's classical dance forms which are described in more detail in our chapter on Indian dancing. Lavish costumes and exotic masks heighten the artistic effect of this pantomime which depicts stories from the Hindu epics. Tullal is a gay stage dance of quick movements in which the performer elucidates the verses and sings. The best performances of Kathakali, in a traditional setting and with clear English explanations, are given every evening at the See India Foundation in Ernakulam. TAMIL NADU The harvest festival, Pongal (called Sankranti in Karnataka) is celebrated with great pomp in Tamil Nadu where it is a three-day affair. The first day is Bhogi, on the eve of Pongal, when evil spirits are driven out of homes by removing old pots and clothes and throwing them into a bonfire. Houses are cleaned up and whitewashed. On Pongal day families have baths and put on new clothes. The newly - harvested rice, sugarcane, turmeric, and other ingredients are cooked in new pots. This sweet dish is known as pongal, after which the festival is named. The third day is Mattu (cattle) Pongal, devoted to the animals on whom the farmer depends to carry out his farming tasks. The horns of the cows and bullocks are polished and painted and flowers are hung around their necks. The night of the full moon in November/December is the festival of lights ( Karthikai ). Thiruvannamalai is the venue of some of the most impressive celebrations. There is a three-day arts festival around December 20th. The Tamil New Year is generally celebrated in mid-April when at Kanchipuram and other temple towns a colourful car festival is held. In April/May on the day of the full moon the temple goddess of Madurai, Meenakshi (incarnation of Parvati), is given away in great pomp by Alagar (incarnation of Vishnu) to the god Sundareswarar (in- carnation of Shiva) amid great rejoicing. The Teppam (float) festival (January-February) in Madurai cele- brates the birthday of the 17th century ruler, Tirumalai Nayak. The temple gods are taken in a procession to the temple tank where they are placed on a huge barge. There is music and chanting. The tank is lit by thousands of oil lamps in built - in niches. Velanganni festival (September): thousands of pilgrims flock to the 'Lourdes of the East’ to be cured of their infirmities.

KERALA

Kerala has a host of festivals that are as varied and interesting as its landscape. Onam is a picturesque harvest festival lasting 3