Theyyannam
type of dance

Theyyannam is a traditional ritual folk art form that exists among the Pulaya, Kurava and Paraya communities of the central Travancore region in Kerala, India. It is mainly performed in Mavelikkara, Pandalam and some other parts of Alappuzha district. It is an art form associated with agriculture, specifically paddy cultivation.
Ritual dance
Eight men plough up a paddy field and plant seedlings. Women enter with breakfast for the men and begin to help planting. They then grow, harvest and thresh the crop together, thus representing all stages of cultivation. The dance is performed to the accompaniment of harmonium, idakka and tabla.
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This entry incorporates text from “Theyyannam” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.