Mobility Issues

Transporting festival paraphernalia to and from the temple.

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Picture taken in Fort Cochin 

Not In New Zealand Anymore..

Following Sunday’s café breakfast, we rode straight into a boisterous but very good-natured Hindu procession heading for the temple.
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Picture taken in Palace Road, part of Fort Cochin’s  ”Brahmin colony”. 

The Cultured Approach

Yesterday saw Anu struggling with the laces of his new shoes,

Then waiting for food with our driver,

And guests.

Today heard us musically welcomed to Trivandrum,
for three days of books, authors and poets:
The 2011 Hay  Festival in Kerala
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Pictures taken from my front yard, in a roadside restaurant, and in the Kanakakunnu Palace Conference venue, Trivandrum.

Elephant Boys

This festival included elephants, each bearing three or four young men.

The boys are not mahouts, they are performers. Their role is almost that of cheerleaders.

They hold aloft the brightly coloured silk parasols.

From atop the elephants, they display decorated white woollen fleeces and peacock feathers in a carefully choreographed routine, which adds further drama to the musical crescendos.

But as the small orchestra quietens

The boys slip into laughter, conversation or their own private thoughts.

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As for the mahouts,

They keep a lower profile.

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Come Blow Your Horn!

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I chance upon another festival.

This time the celebration is Hindu, with a full contingent of brass players.

Their lungs are strong,

Their embouchure, impressive!

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Or possibly…

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Reasons To Be Happy

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This weekend, Hindus all across the world celebrated Holi.

Although in Kerala Holi is a relatively low-key event, packets of brightly coloured powders were on sale along the roadside.

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But I had my own celebration.

My cousin from the USA was stopping over

And she came bearing the very best sort of gifts:

Cheeses!

A deliciously mature Oregon cheddar,

Canadian Brie

And, just for Holi, a rich-looking, blue cheese.

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The first picture in this post depicts Radha celebrating Holi, Kangra, India. Date: c. 1788. Source: Victoria Albert Museum, London. In India this image is held in the public domain.

Preparing for a Feast: Paysam

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Every festival in India is a feast for all the senses.

And in Kerala, every feast finishes with paysam.

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Vast cauldrons and trays of the dessert are prepared.

In Kannamaly the church hall is used for its storage.

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This paysam will be given as part of the free meal but can also be purchased

As a “take-away”

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Preparing for a Feast: Profane

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Preparations for the feast of St Joseph also involve food:

Quite a lot of food.

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Vegetarian curries and rice will be prepared in almost industrial quantities

To feed people of all faiths and denominations.

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Preparing for a Feast: Sacred

Today is the Feast of St Joseph.

Late on Thursday evening, a friend took me on his motorbike to St Anthony’s Church, Kannamaly – a quiet semi-rural backwater of Cochin -

Where preparations for the annual festival involve the entire community.

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A time of preparation, quiet meditation and devotion.

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The Grand Finale

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With the procession having reached its destination and the musicians refreshed,

it is time for a magnificently choreographed finale.

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“It’s the finale. It’s the last impression. A bad dessert can ruin the meal!”   Anne McManus

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