Kummattikali
Kummattikali procession is an integral part of Onam celebrations in Thrissur. Kummattikali is a ritual folk art performed backed by recital of folk songs and Kerala traditional musical instruments. The Kummatty Performance is called Kummattikali. Kummattikali is performed by men in groups wearing brightly painted wooden masks and costumes in grass.
The Kummatty procession goes around in a procession accompanied by drum beats which creates an eerie feeling in the atmosphere. According to legend, Kummattykkali enacts the dance performance of Bhoothaganas, the aides of Lord Shiva in Hindu mythology. These masks provide an ethereal dimension to the performer. These masks are the proud possessions of the performing teams . Apart from the Bhootha characters such as Brungan, Brungoradiyan, Kumbhan, Kumbhodaran, Nikumbhan etc. Now the characters of Kummatty include Ganapathy, Hanuman and also some humorous characters depicting social values.
The Kummatty procession is more of a social carnival and people from all religions take part in this cultural procession. Scenes from epics form the theme for floats and variety folk arts are introduced every year. During the four days of Onam , about 20 teams from in and around Thrissur participate in the Kummatty festival and procession. All these procession usually start in the afternoon and end by sunset.
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