Theatre and dance makeup, India
Kannur and the Theyyam country
North Kerala's Theyyam country, where ritual performers paint their faces to embody deities each winter.
In Kannur and Kasaragod districts of North Kerala, the old region of Kolathunadu, Theyyam is performed at shrines and family temples from about October to May. Performers, mostly from communities that have held the role for generations, paint their faces in elaborate designs and wear towering headdresses, and are believed by devotees to become the deity during the ritual.
Face writing
The face painting of Theyyam is called mukhathezhuthu, "face writing". Using pigments made from rice flour, turmeric, lime and soot, mixed with coconut oil, artists paint bold lines, curls and dots in red, yellow, black and white. Each of the several hundred Theyyam forms has its own design, and the painting is done by hand with fine sticks or coconut-leaf brushes as the performer lies still.
A living ritual
Theyyam is worship, not stage theatre, and performances run through the night at village shrines called kavus. The best-known forms include Muchilottu Bhagavathi, Kathivanoor Veeran and Pottan Theyyam. Visitors are welcome at many shrines if they keep the customs. Kannur has a long tradition of handloom and of the martial art Kalaripayattu, which shares some movement with Theyyam.
Guides of Kannur and the Theyyam country
Still to be written: Theyyam.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Theatrical makeup: Mrgarden 2342, CC BY-SA 4.0, source