"Theyyam" ritual of Kerala

Practically every state of India has its special and peculiar folk rituals and ceremonies. Kerala has its Theyyam ceremony that is undertaken in many parts of the northern, or the Malabar, coast in the state. Much of it is bound up in myths and legends about some folk god, e.g. Muthuappan, or of some animist god, or it could be an invocation of a traditional god like Siva or Bhagavathy. The ritual takes several hours in preparation with the wearing of a special dress made up from coconut leaf fronds, many repetitive and stylized movements, chanting of "Mantras", offering of libation of wines, beating of drums and playing of other musical instruments, and so on.

Many scholars have held that the purpose was to enable a low caste priest progressively through the various stages of the ritual to assume the spirit and powers of the god who has been invoked and thus communicate the message of the gods to other persons also of lower castes - often on a one-to-one basis - thus helping bypass the prevalent caste restrictions and improving social intercourse.

Usually the theyyam ceremony is part of the rural life of northern Kerala and is held away from urban centres. The dress, the stylized dances, the drumming and music make for colourful yet solemn ceremony.