Theyyam

- a colloquial word for 'Daivam' or God - it is a ritual performed in temples of north Malabar districts of  Kasargod, Kannur, Wayanad and Kozhikkode from october to may every year. It is a living slice of the ancient culture of malabar, thet has been practices for more than 2000 years. It embraces almost all the strata of the hindu society of the region.

Every village of Malabarwas bound to the 'sacred gardens' (kavu) with a sacred tree and a presiding diety.Theyyams are performed before these Kavus. The sacred dance performed amidst an enthusiastic crowd is believed to bring prosperity for the village. For the people of Malabar, Theyyams are visible Gods. 

Theyyam

Costumes of the Theyyam performers are designed by cutting and painting coconut sheaths in Red, Black, and White patterns. The Hood, headdress, face paint, bracelets, garlands, attire are unique for each theyyam and is crafted using coconut & palm leaves, dyes, twigs, threads, mirrors and embroidery, over long hours prior to the performance. 

Theyyam

There are almost 400 types of  theyyam, which includes female deities too. Some of the popular deities are Mutthappan, Pottan, Vishnumoorthy, Pulikandan, Thee Chamundi, Chembilot Bhagawathy, Muchilottu Bhagawathy, Gulikan, Bhadrakali etc. 

in to the Blue....

Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. Blue gives a feeling of distance. Artists use it to to show perspective. The earliest known blue dyes were made from plants – woad in Europe, indigo in Asia and Africa, while blue pigments were made from minerals, usually either lapis lazuli or azurite.

“I don't want a rainbow... Rainbows have too many colors and none of them receive the appreciation they deserve... I'd prefer a fading red or a striking golden, a shimmery silver or a sober blue... Ruling the sunset sky alone!” -- Debalina Haldar

“It's the colors that will make you stray. They sing to you, the not-blue and the searing light, and no matter how tightly you tie yourself to the inbetween, eventually you will break free.No one swims only in the shallow water.” -- Betsy Cornwell

“The sky grew darker, painted blue on blue, one stroke at a time, into deeper and deeper shades of night.”    -- Haruki Murakami 

Pink Turns Blue

Pink Turns Blue

If Two Worlds Kiss
Lost somewhere in paradise
A lonesome king feels cold at night
A dreamy shadow memory
A wild desire I'm loving you
The hate I felt was never true
Impulses I can't understand
Lighted by your true blue eyes
I always knew I's telling lies
Waiting always everywhere
Love is changing all my life
Destined to make me laugh and cry
Despair has settled over me
If two worlds kiss
A kind of change is going on
The Gods have fallen, my safety's gone
Who gains the world I lost my soul
Restless eyes some pleasant smiles
I'm burdened for the rest of life
Enough to tell the definite truth
If two worlds kiss

© 1987 Fun Factory! Musikverlag
Music & Words: Mic Jogwer

"...to appreciate a work of art we need bring with us nothing from life, no knowledge of its ideas and affairs, no familiarity with its emotions. Art transports us from the world of man's activity to a world of aesthetic exaltation. For a moment we are shut off from human interests; our anticipations and memories are arrested; we are lifted above the stream of life."

-- Clive Bell 

The Aesthetic Hypothesis, quoted in Modern Art and Modernism: A Critical Anthology

Kanikonna