KA'VE'RI EESTIVAL.

COORG FESTIVALS.

43

The festivals of the Coorgs are few in number. The Kávéri Habba, i. e. festival, and the Huttari or Huddari Habba are the two principal festive seasons, The former has reference to the River, the most ancient object of Coorg-worship, no doubt; the latter to the earth, which by its rich harvests gives food and plenty to the chosen race. A Bhagavati festival is observed all over Coorg in the months preceding the Monsoon. After the sowing season, generally at the first break of the Monsoon, the Kailmuttu, the festival of arms, is celebrated by the youths and men of Coorg.

The two great festivals of the Coorgs take place, in quick succession, towards the end of the year.

The

The Kàvèri-festival ushers in the fair season. time of the sun's entering into the sign of Libra-in the past year it was the 15th October-is the commencement of the great festival-season; for the Kávéri-festival is the first day of the holy month of Tala Kàvèri, during which all the Coorgs, who can, perform their pilgrimage to sanctuary of the Country at Bhágamandala.

The

Before sunrise, on the Kávéri-day, the mistress of the house rises early, goes to the cooking-room, takes a brass-dish, throws into it a handfull of rice, and having spread it over the whole plate, puts a common lamp, which has been in daily use, into the centre. burning lamp is surrounded with flowers gathered from a garden or the jungle. To these a fresh, young cucumber is added. Then a red handkerchief is placed behind the lamp. Upon the handkerchief one jewel of gold or silver is laid. The lady perhaps takes the necklace from her own neck on the occasion, which is consider the luckiest choice. Then a good mat is spread on the ground, and a tripod, which serves the Coorg for a dinner-table, placed upon the mat. Upon

the tripod the woman sets the brass-plate with the rice, lamp, cloth and jewel. This done, she proceed s to bake little cakes from a dough of rice-flour and plantains, well kneaded together on the preceding night, upon a pot-stone-mould well heated. Three of these little cakes are added to the contents of the plate, Then she calls the inmates of the house. They all rise instantly, go strait into the kitchen, and fold their hands before the tripod, as in adoration. One of the men takes three or five of the fresh cakes and carries them down to the rice-fields-all the Coorgs live on some high ground by the side of their fields. There he puts the cakes upon one of the bamboo sticks, which have been placed in every field on the preceding day, crowned with a bundle of Keibala creepers. The field next to the house is chosen for this offering. When the cakes are duly laid upon the top of the creepercrowned pole, the man gives three great shouts and returns to the house. It is now about five o'clock. (The cakes are gathered by the Holeya (the slaves), who live in the neighbourhood.) On the return of the man from the field, the whole family sit down in the kitchen and eat the cakes prepared by the mistress and the other females after their morning-entrance into the cooking-and dining-room. When the cakes are consumed, the ceremony of the Kávéri day is over. In houses of some learning, some one who knows how to read, takes the Góvina-pada book and recites the song of the Cow, the rest of the family listening. The day is kept as a holiday; nobody is expected to work. But there is no further ceremony.

The substance of the lay of the Cow is as follows: One great herd of cattle was grazing in the forest, when a royal tiger appeared and in a few moments by three or four leaps threw himself into the midst of the poor, peaceful animals. The whole herd, affrighted, ran off

THE SONG OF THE COW. THE HUTTARI. 45

She Having found it, she

in wild despair in all directions. One Cow only stood still, and was seized by the savage beast. The Cow, however, made bold to speak to her destroyer, and said: You will kill and devour me. Do it. But give me a few moments leave, to go after my poor calf, to let it drink for the last time, and to commit it to the care of kind friends, before I die. The tiger, astonished and moved by the speech of his victim, causes the Cow to swear, that, after performing her last duty, she will return and deliver herself to her hungry master. swears and goes to seek her calf. gives it to drink, and then commits it to the care of her friends, entreating them to allow it to share their milk with their own calves, not to kick, when it comes from behind to drink, not to turn their horns against it, when it comes in front &c. Having sworn, she would rather die, than break her word. She returns to the tiger, and begs his pardon for having detained him so long, and increased his hunger. But the tiger in the presence of such truth and goodness, is seized with remorse. His heinous sins rise to his mind in dreadful array. The slayer of a thousand cows sinks under the burden of his wickedness. If I killed this pattern of righteousness, my sins could never be forgiven, he says to himself. He declares to the Cow, that she may return in safety to her calf and her herd, takes a desperate leap high into the air, and falls down dead before the good Cow. This is the Coorg lay of the Cow, consisting of one hundred and odd

verses.

The second festival is called Huttari. It is the festival of the first-fruits of the rice-harvest. The name Huttari is probably a contraction and corruption of two words Pudi Ari i. e. New Rice. The Huttari-festival is celebrated some time in the month of Scorpio, which succeeds that of Libra. The day of the Coorg

festival depends upon the day fixed by the Malayalam Astrologers for the celebration of the New-Rice-festival, in the month of Leo. The Malayalam festival takes place two months before that of Coorg, because the rice on the coast ripens two months earlier. If the Malayalam festival of the First-fruits fall upon the first day of the Sinha-mása, that of Coorg is held on the first day of Vrishchika-mása; if the Malayalam festival be on the second day of that month, the Coorg-holidays commence on the second day of this month, and so on. (Sinha-mása corresponds to our September-October, Urishchika-mása to our November-December.

The Huttari is the great national festival of the Coorgs, (and of the Holeyas). It is a heathenish Christmas-season, a sort of Saturnalia. The real holidays are only seven in number, but both Coorgs and Holeyas, who stand in an ancient and intimate relation to each other, generally add two or three more days of feasting and merry-making to the great week. On this occasion, as well as on the great Kávéri-day, Brahmans are in no way wanted. Nor could they well officiate in a Coorg-kitchen on the Kávéri-day, or preside over the pork-and-brandy-feasts in the merry days of Huttari. And it appears, that the people can do very well without them.

Six days before the chief festival of tasting the new rice, all the males from six to sixty years, assemble on one of the Mandus of the Gráma (village community) after sunset. Mandu is the name of the open public place in which business is transacted or festive-games carried on. Grámas have generally three Mandus, one called the Panchayati-mandu for business; a second, Dévara-mandu, on which dances are performed in the name of Bhaghavati during the after-Huttari-days; a third, Uru-mandu, (i. e. the Mandu of the place), on which the performances, now to be described, take

place on the six evenings, preceding the principal festival-night of the Huttari. The description of one night will suffice, as there is no essential variety in the entertainments of the week.

The time of these national games and dances is from sunset till after ten o'clock. The whole male population of the Gráma, except little boys and old men, past sixty, has to attend. If one stay at home, the Takka of the Nadu (a kind of Coorg-nobility), who resides in the respective Gráma, will enquire into the reasons of such absence, and, it they do not appear satisfactory, fine the defaulter one Hana (three Annas) or more according to circumstances. The assembly gathers gradually between six and seven o'clock. When all have come, the business of the evening commences. A space is marked out for the performances of the party. At a little distance a band of Musicians, two Holeya horn-blowers and two Méda-drummers, sit near a fire, which they have kindled for warming themselves and their instruments. The horns are large and of brass. The drums are a Pare (large drum) and a Kudike-Pare (pot-drum, of a smaller size).

Three Coorgmen step into the centre of the open space and call aloud three names: Ayappa! Mahâdéva! Bhagavati! The men stand in a triangle, their faces towards the centre, their backs towards the company. Ayappa is the Coorg forest-god; Mahádéva, the Shiva of the Hindus, and Bhagavati, his wife.

The Chandukutti (ball-and-peg-play) now follows. The whole assembly takes part in it, the moon,—the Huttari is kept on the day of the fullmoon-shedding a bright silver-light on the scene. A peg is driven into the ground in the centre of the chosen ground. A piece of rope, a foot and a quarter long, is fastened to the peg by a loose loop. The people who make this preparation, seize some one, who must hold this