Holi Traditions in Southern India

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Myriad hues of Holi

March 16, 2008

Deccan Herald

 

Holi may not be celebrated in South India the same way as

it is in the North. [...] Each southern state has its own

unique way of making the day special.

 

Holi, which falls on the phalgun purnima (full moon) will

be celebrated this year on March 22. If you thought, after

the Vindhyas, the colourful Holi peters out somewhere

around Mumbai and in the northern districts of Karnataka,

you are wrong. It may not be celebrated the same way as it

is observed in North India, but from Kanyakumari to

Kashmir, the day of Holi is observed in some form or the

other. In fact, there are 10th century murals in the Karnataka

temple of Shravanabelgola showing 'gods playing Holi'.

 

Holi celebrations in Kerala begins at the temples on the day

after the full moon in early March. It is celebrated mainly by

the Kudumbi community of nearly a million at 20 temples

in the state over four days. Persecuted by the Portuguese in

Goa, a section of the Kudumbi community fled Goa. Those

who reached Kerala brought the festival of Holi with them

and were welcomed by the ruler of Cochin.

 

In some of the Kudumbi temples in Ernakulam, an arecanut

tree is felled and carried to the shrine, symbolising Durga's

victory over the demons. In some temples in Thrissur, a

figure of a crocodile is modeled out of mud. According to

belief, the goddess, in the form of a crocodile, helped the

Kudumbis when they faced trouble while migrating to

Kerala. On the second day of the celebrations, the

Kudumbis get themselves sprayed with coloured water

(containing turmeric) and dance to traditional Kerala

percussion. The ceremony is called Manjakkuli and is

equivalent to throwing of colour in the north.

 

In Kanyakumari in Tamilnadu, Holi is observed as Kaman

Pandigai or the festival of the god of love, Kama. Unlike

North India, where the story of Holi revolves around the

demoness Holika - sister of the cruel king Hiranyakasipu

and in Uttar Pradesh, where couples pose themselves as

Lord Krishna and Radha in love, in Tamilnadu, the

presiding deities of Holi are Kama and his consort Rati.

[....]

 

Some families in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara

Kannada districts, who are originally from Goa, celebrate

Holi [with special dances and with rituals involving tulasi.]

[....]

 

In Andhra Pradesh, with each passing year, the Holi

celebrations has taken on a northern hue as more and more

people take part in the festivities. One important feature is

that in many districts of Andhra Pradesh, even today, natural

colours are used to celebrate the festival. The preparations

to make these colours from plants and flowers begin a week

before.

 

For example, orange or red colour is extracted from flowers

of the abundantly-available moduga or palash trees; blue

from the indigo plant, and yellow colour is made by

grinding the 'harital' stone [....]

 

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