One morning we got up at 4 AM to attend a Theyyam ritual in a village somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Theyyam only exists in this part of Kerala and can only be performed by people from a certain caste. It is an ancient ritual where the dancers, fully decorated in body paint and elaborate costumes, takes on the spirit and the powers of the Gods by getting into a trance to the sound of drums. It was very tribal, similar to voodoo. While the dancers were possessed by the Gods, the villagers approached them to get their blessing. Selected children are trained from a very early age to learn the skills and the knowledge is passed down through generations verbally. For an outsider, it is nearly impossible to know when and where these rituals will be taking place, but Mr Kiriyan is “in the know”, so we were in good hands.
We were three outsiders who attended and despite the fact that this is a very sacred ritual we were warmly welcomed by the villagers. I was imagining how we would respond in a similar situation at home, if foreigners would walk in one of our sacred traditions (do we even have any?). I don’t believe we would show the same level of hospitality. Food for thought…
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