The Chamayavilakku festival- Kerala’s unique festival, where men dress up as women
Do you believe me if I say, there is a festival in India where all the men dress up like women? I am sure you are probably thinking that it might be the transgenders or some kind of show? right. You are definitely one of the people who says and thinks that’s not even possible, we know that India is a traditional, religious, and cultural country but I don’t think so this much religious where men dress up like a woman to hold a lamp.
Well, I did not believe it either until I saw this with my eyes, it was an incredible and a very unique festival. I must say you won’t believe it either until you don’t see it. There is a unique festival that happens every year in Kerala called the Chamayavilakku festival.
The famous lighting carnival is popularly known as the Chamayavilakku festival which is Kerala’s unique festival where thousands of men dress up like women for this festival. This is an annual Hindu festival celebrated in Kerala every year at Kottankulangara Devi Temple at Kollam dedicated to the goddess Bhagavathi.
This is a very unique festival celebrated in Kerala where men dress up like females throughout the festival irrespective of their religious beliefs and faith. They offer their prayer to the Goddess Bhagavathi. Also, along with the festival, the temple is also unique because the temple has no roof on the shrine. In this festival, all the men get ready like girls or ladies to hold the traditional temple lamp.
To more about this festival, the celebration began in the daytime when all the men prepare the chariots of the goddess. The men clad in sarees and wearing heavy makeup, it’s hard to identify who is a man or a woman. The festival name Chamayavilakku comes from the word Chamaya which means makeup. It is said that whoever celebrates this festival or takes part in it, has their all wishes fulfilled and all their sins are forgiven.
The Chamayavilakku festival is a 19-day festival and this dress-up ritual takes place on the final two days of the festival and is also the largest gathering of the transgender community in Kerala. Let’s go back in time and remember the origin of this temple.
The festival started after a group of boys who were playing in a jungle found a coconut, and when they break it by hitting a rock, the coconut cracked and blood comes out from it. When they told this to one priest, he said it is a form of a goddess and they should construct a temple and start worshiping her. But since then, only women were allowed to worship the goddess so the boys dress up like women, wore their sarees, and started worshipping the goddess. This is how it all started, the beginning of a unique tradition that has been followed since then.
Well, there are many stories and myths about the start of this festival. Whatever the origin of this festival, this is one of the most unique traditions and festivals that I have seen in our cultural country. this is certainly a unique festival where gender roles are reversed, such beauty is this!
Here’s how twitteratis reacted :
The Devi Temple in Kottamkulakara in Kollam district in Kerala has a tradition called the Chamayavilakku festival.
— Ananth Rupanagudi (@Ananth_IRAS) March 27, 2023
This festival is celebrated by men who are dressed as women. The above picture is that of the man who won the first prize for the make up In the contest. #festival pic.twitter.com/ow6lAREahD
The Devi Temple in Kottamkulakara in Kollam district in Kerala has a tradition called the Chamayavilakku festival.
— Ananth Rupanagudi (@Ananth_IRAS) March 27, 2023
This festival is celebrated by men who are dressed as women. The above picture is that of the man who won the first prize for the make up In the contest. #festival pic.twitter.com/ow6lAREahD
