Thursday, March 20, 2014
Earn your Stripes
If you like watching people dressed up as tigers and dance for two days, then you're in luck! In Thrissur, India there is a festival where men dress up as tigers to dance, and the person who dances best is the winner of the festival. This "party" is held in September. The festival may seem like a drug induced dream about bald men with tigers painted on their bodies dancing around, but in this city it's an art form that's been around for over 200 years. This type of dancing is called Pulikkali. These people aren't just going to a party store to pick up a tiger costume, they are shaving all of the hair off their bodies, painting themselves and waiting hours for it to dry. Seems like the kind of party blind people would get confused at, although blind people might get confused at every type of party. I'm not sure that is true because I've never been to a party with a blind person. I personally wouldn't want to do this because I dislike dancing and I wouldn't want to paint myself . So my question is would you want to shave yourself, then paint your body like a tiger, and dance around like a raging maniac?
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Personally, I would NEVER shave my body. Do women dance in the festival too? If so I hope they don't have to shave their heads! Besides the thought of men who shave themselves and dress up as tigers, the festival seems like a lot of fun. 200 years is a long time. It's really cool how they kept this tradition for so long. I haven't been to a party with a blind person either, but I bet it would be a little confusing for that person. I think anyone would become a little confused during this festival, I know I would. Would you shave your body?
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Tessa, I wouldn't shave my body either nor would i waste my time to both paint my whole body then wait for it to dry. Sure id paint my face or some small part but not my whole body. Besides the body shaving and the body painting and the body drying, I think this would be a interesting and fun event to participate in. I think being around a blind man or woman at any party would be scary to them. Like i said before, i would never, ever shave my body unless it was to support cancer or something then in that case, i would shave my head. Only the people of that culture would understand though. I would want to be apart of the party. Would you?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post. I found cool how even after 200 years, these people are still able to celebrate their old traditions. Did you know that Puli Kali actually translates to 'play of the tiger?' I found that while researching. I can't speak for everyone here, but I actually would partake in the Puli Kali celebration. I would like to so there so then everyone could feel equal and not left out or embarrassed. Knowing the circumstances, would you like to be part of this festival?
ReplyDeleteUmmm...once again, well done Ethan! Kind of a kooky festival, but truly cultural!
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