kummatti kali:trichur district

In Trichur District, Kummaattikkali begins on the dawn of Thiruvonam. The players and the people who play the musical instruments visit the temple and pay obeisance to God. They receive clothes as gifts from the local elder. Usually the Nairs perform Kummaatti.

attire and ritual

Groups of dancers donning masks and adorning themselves with leaves and grass go from house to house and dance. Each household pays them in cash or kind. Originally, only Nairs performed this dance, and it was common to find masks stored in Nair houses. Today anybody can participate.

The distinguishing feature of the Trichur Kummaattikkali is the use of a large variety of imposing masks. One popular character in the range is a toothless old woman known as talla (grandmother). The mask of the talla has the hair tied on the top of the head, like the old women of the past. The ear ornaments are huge round ones. Sometimes brinjals are hung instead of the ear ornaments called Kundalam. The talla enacts according to the song sequences in the song and makes the audience laugh.

music
The Kummaattikkali of Trichur is more attractive and appealing because of its music. The songs are melodious and deal with devotional themes. Songs relating to the story of Mahaabali, which is the basis of the Onam festival are particularly catchy. The rhythm for the singing is not provided by a drum but by vibrating the string of a bow-like instrument called onavillu. http://kerala.indiavideo.org/heritage/festivals/onavillu-the-ceremonial-bows-112.php The bow is made of arecanut wood. The string firmly tied to the two ends with slats and bamboo is beaten with a bamboo sliver.

No special or elaborate training is required to dance. The style, as in most folk dance forms, is, by and large, learned merely through participation.

The number of participants vary according to their financial position. The players don their faces with the masks of Puranic characters like Siva, Kiraatamoorthi, Naarada, Hanumaan, Darika, and Krishna. The costumes are made of grass.

The song for the Kummaattikkali is sung by the leader of the group. The masked Kummaattis do not sing.