We travelled to the state of Kerala and then took a two hour train ride from Kochi to Thrissur just to check out this legendary parade where villagers paint themselves like tigers.* It did not disappoint. Check out the links to our videos, and below, a little bit about Puli Kali, courtesy of Wikipedia.

*Painting takes 3 hours per person.

Video of us drumming in Puli Kali parade.

Eve learns to drum in the Puli Kali parade.

More drumming in the Puli Kali parade.

And, we’re the only ladies drumming in the Puli Kali parade.

A big thanks to Emma Hollows, without whom this night wouldn’t have been nearly as amazing and without whom there would be much less photographic and videographic evidence!

Puli Kali (“Puli” = Leopard/Tiger & “Kali” = Play in Malayalam language) is a colorful recreational folk art from the state of Kerala.[1] It is performed by trained artists to entertain people on the occasion of Onam, an annual harvest festival, celebrated mainly in the Indian state of Kerala. On the fourth day of Onam celebrations (Nalaam Onam), performers painted like tigers and hunters in bright yellow, red, and black dance to the beats of instruments like Udukku and Thakil. Literal meaning of Pulikali is the ‘play of the tigers’ hence the performance revolve around the theme of tiger hunting. The folk art is mainly practiced in Thrissur district of Kerala. Best place to watch the show is at Swaraj Round, Thrissur on the fourth day of Onam, where Pulikali troupes from all over the district assemble to display their skills. The festival attracts thousands of people to the Thrissur city. Pulikali is also performed during various other festive seasons.