Moodubelle: Marathi community celebrates Holi in Pernankila

Report and Pictures by Anil Alva
Bellevision Media Network

Moodubelle, 01 March 2010: The Marathi community of 32 families especially residing in the Kenakunja region of Pernankila has been celebrating the festival of Holi in a unique way since around 100 years. According to their tradition the festivities started from the Dashami day, 24th February 2010. On that day the elders gathered at the Marathi Samaja Bhajan Mandir and put up the pandal and decorated it. The evening rituals included offering of coconut and fruits to the Tulasi and hoisting of the saffron flag. After the meals the men and women started the ceremonial Holi dance.

On the Ekadashi day, 25th February 2010, the people visited the Mahalingeshwara temple at Pernankila and later the Holi dancers visited different houses beginning with the ancestral homes of Ranga Bhat and Kudpa Naik. Two of the youngsters, Ravi and Sushant Naik had worn the dress of women for the Holi dance. As the Holi dancers moved from house to house they were greeted with areca nuts and betel leaves and were presented with one coconut and one seer of rice from each house. Blessing the family members, the Holi dancers proceeded to other houses.

On the last day of the festivities on Chaturdashi, 27th February 2010 all the Holi dancers and others gathered in the house of the head of the Marathi community, Devaraya Naik. After bhajan for one hour from 9 to 10pm, the Holi dancers danced till early morning of 28th February 2010 to the accompaniment of singing the traditional folk songs and the loud music of gumate, thala and jagate.

Early in the morning of 28th February 2010, the Holi dancers with thick colour paste on their face and body went to the nearby rivulet to wash off their colour and give up the flowers that they had been wearing for the last four days. Coming from the rivulet they went around the bonfire three times that had been lit in the field and walked over the embers three times in fast strides. After breaking coconuts in front of the bonfire the pieces were distributed as ‘prasad’ to the members of the Marathi community.