Rural folklore in Urban Cosmos

I was wondering for the past several years of this one festival the “BONALU” thats an exclusive for the Hyderabadis in particular and the Telangana (western Andhra Pradesh) in general. The Folklore’s survival with such vibrancy has been an amusing fact for me atleast. the festival a colorful expression of the folk tales, arts and forms depicts the rural culture in this part of the country. Though u have similar ones in Karnataka and kerala this one in Andhra stands apart. Strikingly different is the Pagan nature of the festivity.

The Mother goddess is at the center of the celebration. Women form the core of the celebration carrying ghattams like the one u see in the pic above.

The festival of Bonalu is celebration time for the people of the Telangana region. This century-old tradition is celebrated with utmost gaiety and devotional fervour. Coming as it does during the month of Ashadh, (Hindu calender) the one-month-long festival is marked by devotional singing and ritualistic worship of village deities.

“…For us this festival means red and yellow, the colours of the goddess, the colour that depicts marriage, family. We pray for our men, our family and their happiness…”
NDTV.com