I wanted to watch a Theyyam performance, and not one that happens on a stage in a closed hall, but one in its natural environment. It's a bit difficult to come across information about it, but there's a method. Here's what I did.
I'm going to focus more on the logistics involved rather than the history and culture of Theyyam, a danceform native to Northern Kerala, typically performed in Hindu temples from November through February every year. A lot of these events are performed in family temples. They are often small village events, with minimal budgets, and only local information. So it can be quite hard to search for information online, unless you know exactly what to look for, and if you don't understand Malayalam. I'd decided I'm going to watch a Theyyam performance in Kannur or Kasargod (or both?) during the Christmas break. I drove, so I had the flexibility to change plans at the last minute, with the only fixtures being my hotel bookings. I'd recommend having a vehicle (self-drive or taxi) at your disposal if you want to do this. The Kannur district website publishes a list of Theyyams in the district by the first or second week of December. Planning a trip in Jan-Feb might give you slightly more flexibility in staying close to a temple you'd like to visit.
There are various kinds of Theyyam, each ritual having its own meaning and significance ranging from warding off evil to dispute resolution. They are high energy and awe-inspiring performances, accompanied by beats of the chenda drums and cymbals. Depending on the kind of budget each temple has, there are broadly two kinds of festivals. Some just do a single day festival. It starts around 6:00 PM and continues through the night, up to around 8:00 AM the next morning. If you visit a one-day festival, you may have the opportunity to see several forms of Theyyam the same night. Each performance lasts about an hour, and then there's usually a break of 30-45 min while the performers change their costumes. I happened to watch about 3-4 Theyyam performances from about 08:30 PM to about 12:30 AM at Kalathil Kooloth Sree Kuttichathan Temple in Thalassery. The image above, is Chaand Kuttichathan theyyam, a fiery performance accompanied with flames and intense chenda beats. I could feel my heart rate was off the charts by the end of the performance. This was a small intimate performane, with just about 100-150 attendees, most of them from the village, while a few like me had visited as tourists to see the performance.
Larger temples, have 5-7 day festivals, with each day being dedicated to a single Theyyam performance. If you've planned for it, you may be able to see different dance forms if you go on successive days. I visited Kanathur Shree Nalvar Temple in Kasargod district one evening, and managed to catch a Muthor Theyyam (pic above) performance. This temple event was massive, with people from all nearby villages coming to attend, and there must have been at least a lakh attendees crammed into a large ground where the Theyyam was performed. There are two temples in this complex, and the Theyyam moves from one temple to another with the crowd following. This was a larger scale temple festival with several stalls selling everything from snacks to clothing. I was probably the only tourist there, with everyone else being from nearby villages. Due to a lack of time, I was only there for a few hours, so I caught just the one Theyyam.
Want to watch a Theyyam performance, but cannot make it during Nov-Feb, or you can't access North Kerala easily?
There are daily shows at Kochi Folklore Odeum, and this is probably the most convenient option for you.
You can reach North Kerala easily, but can't make it on the specific dates of a particular temple?
Visit the Parassinikadavu Sri Muthappan Temple near Kannur. They have a daily year-round Theyyam performance in the temple, once in the morning (05:30 AM to 08:30 AM), and once in the evening (06:30 PM to 08:30 PM).
You don't have time or location constraints?
Wait for the annual Theyyam list the Kannur district website publishes in early December. Make a list of potential candidates and figure out if the temples have an Instagram account. Even the smallest temples nowadays manage to post a notice of the dates of their festival on either Instagram or Youtube these days. You can search for the temple names and see what comes up. Like I said, you can find information if you know what to look for. The dates posted on these temple accounts are more reliable than the Kannur district website (scheduling changes the temple decides to make may not get communicated to the district).
Plan your trip around your chosen temple. Find a hotel not too far away. Performances happen at night, often going into the early hours of the morning, so make sure you don't end up driving several hours after a long night. Without a guide, you may not get too much information about what's going on or what's going to happen next, but don't be afraid to ask the locals. They are always happy to let you know what kind of Theyyam is going on at the moment, and what it represents.
All the temples are likely to have some kind of food available. The larger ones will have extensive food stalls, while smaller ones might have a soft drink or ice cream stand. Locals typically sit down to a feast during their temple festival. As a visitor, I would recommend you head over after dinner.
Finally, do be respectful of the locals and their culture, even if you aren't particularly religious, or are there just for the experience. It's an annual event that the locals look forward to with great enthusiasm, and it is a deeply religious, spiritual as well as a highly entertaining and fun event for them. Enjoy your Theyyam kali.
All three temples mentioned in this post, can be viewed on our Culturally Adventurous map by zooming into North Kerala.
