Kakkoor Kalavayal Festival
Shows Fairs Exhibition / Agriculture Contributor :
Ajith P.s. 47 1
Edit
Ajith P.s. 47 1
Kakkoor, Ernakulam, Kerala, India
Free entry. Registration not required.
Schedule and Timing:
The Kakkoor Kalavayal is held on the Kumbha Bharani day and the 2 days that follows. The related festivities last five days beginning on the day prior to Kumbha Bharani.
Description:The Kakkoor Kalavayal is the largest livestock mela in Kerala. It had a tradition of over 125 years. Originally meant as a post-harvest market for buying livestock as well as agricultural tools it became a village fair with variety entertainments.
History of Kakkoor Kalavayal
Kala means ox and Vayal means field and Kalavayal refers to the fields where the Ox is traded. However, it became synonymous with the ox race that was conducted here along with the livestock fair. Another interesting event was the Maramadi also called Kalapoottu.
Maramadi is a competition where two oxen are tied together and a wooden plank is attached in the middle on which one person stands controlling the racing oxen. This requires lot of expertise and physical fitness. Typically two more men will be part of the team who runs on the sides. The team that finishes first is the winner.
As agriculture became more technology driven, oxen were replaced by tractors and the earlier cattle fair became more or less irrelevant. However, the Ox race continued to be popular attracting huge masses.
The 2014 supreme court order meant to curb cruelty towards animals put an end to the ox race in its original form. The muddy fields of Kakkoor now have bike and car mud races instead of ox races. The livestock fair has turned in to an agriculture fair. It still retains its popularity as a village fair with exhibitions, cultural processions, mud races, agriculture and livestock show.
Event id: 1460621531
Published on December 12th, 2018, 11:14 am
Ver.2 Dated March 13th, 2019, 4:30 pm
This information is posted by someone who thought it might be useful for others like you. Please consider posting a local activity that you know.
