10/02/2024
Have you heard of this Tulu festival Keddasa where Mother Earth Gets Menstruated and is Worshiped.
Tulu festival of Keddasa is a unique ancient celebration in honour of the annual initiation of the fertility season (agriculture) of the Mother Earth. Our ancestors firmly believed that Earth is a woman, a mother. They conceived that Mother Earth would have an annual transitional period comparable to the menstrual period in women, after which she shall be ready to bear fruits and crops for the benefit of people. The three day period falls on the last three days of the Tulu month known as ‘Puyintel’ or ‘Ponni ‘(equivalent of ‘Makara’ month), from 27th of Puyintel upto Kumbha Sankramana. A mixture of nine grains (navadhanya, which invariably include horse gram and rice) are spiced and fried and distributed as ‘kuDu-ari’ (horsegram+rice) among well wishers.
The three day festival celebrates the transition of seasons and initiation of cropping season. During the three days no harms, destructions can be done to Earth: digging, trenching, cutting trees etc are banned.
Besides during these three days youths used to hunt the wild animal and especially the bird “Kunda Kori or Pundade” (a species of bird). People ate a mix of rice and kudu (whole seeds of horse gram) without baking it, rotti payasa etc.
It is a symbol that mother earth is now fertile and is ready for farming. It means that the arrangements of farming can be prepared now. Only after this ritual being performed one can dig the land with the equipment’s for further activities.
During Keddasa, one more practice was prevalent was to have lentils like horse gram, green gram, dried coconut, rice and peanuts called as Kudu Ari. They were roasted and were given to all. This is because winter is the time when body needs lot of proteins and oil. These lentils would help the body be intact in working condition.
..spb...
