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Thiruvathira festival kerala

Thiruvathira festival kerala
In Kerala, the festival is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Shiva. Thiruvathira is the nakshatra or "star" as per the Malayalam calendar of Lord Shiva. Another belief is that the festival commemorates the death of Kamadeva, the Hindu god of erotic desire.[32] It is believed that on this day, the Goddess Parvathi finally met Lord Shiva after her long penance and Lord Shiva took her as a saha-dharma chaarini (equal partner). Both Parvathi and Shiva present this ideal to devotees in the form of Ardha-Nareeshawara (half male, half female form).

In Kerala, Thiruvathira is an important traditional festival along with the other popular festivals, Onam and Vishu. This has been celebrated by the Nambuthiri, Kshatriya and Nair communities of Kerala from days of yore. It is largely a festival for women.
Thiruvathira festival is mostly observed by womenfolk. The women disinfect themselves by taking an early morning bath and wearing new, bright colored clothes. They stay a fast in which consumption of rice is prohibited. There is a ritual of eating paan (betel leaves) by the women. In the evening the idol is placed in the central courtyard and is adorned with fragrant flowers. Offerings flowers, jaggery, etc are made. The most significant ritual is the folk dance present by the women around the statue of Lord Shiva. This dance is known as Thiruvathirakkali, is performed by clapping hands to the rhythm of the folk songs, and sung by women.
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