Golu 101 - the Pinterest like Indian Festival of Dolls
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Golu – The Indian Festival of Dolls
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Golu or Kolu is the South Indian physical Pinterest. Traditionally seen during the festival of nine nights (Navratri) in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, Kolu is a creative assembly of clay and wooden figurines and dolls with interesting mythological and current stories narrated. This presentation, a daughter-father project, attempts to throw some light on this wonderful art
Transcript of Golu 101 - the Pinterest like Indian Festival of Dolls
Golu – The Indian Festival of Dolls
Who celebrates Golu?
It is customary in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka, as well as in some Tamil communities within Sri Lanka, to display Kolu.
What does the word “Golu” mean?
?
Meaning of Golu ….
In Tamil, it means Court or Divine
Presence In Telugu they
call it Bommala Koluvu which means “Court of Dolls”
GOLU
When do we celebrate Golu?
Golu is celebrated during the 9 days of Navratri
The last day is Vijaya Dasami or Dasera
Why do we celebrate Golu?
Golu represents the divine presence of 3 Goddesses Saraswati, Parvati and Laxmi in the Kannada ,Telugu and Tamil households during Navaratri (Nine nights).
The Kolu is a festival of dolls … Predominantly with that of the gods and
goddesses depicting mythology and typical village scenes.
It is a traditional practice to have at least some wooden dolls.
There should also be a figurine of a boy and a girl together called 'Marapacchi' Bommai” – meaning Wooden Dolls.
How many steps does a typical Golu have?
9
Why 9 steps or padis?
9 ways to worship Devi (Devi = Goddess)
9 planets or Navagrahas.
And of course, 9 ratris! (ratri = night)
If you can’t do 9 then….
it should be in odd number of tiers such as like 3, 5, and 7.
From the bottom to top, the length of the steps
should reduce
Which dolls sit where?
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Insects and Reptiles
Birds
Animals
Ordinary Human Beings
Noble Persons – Freedom Fighters etc
Enlightened Ones
Gods & Goddesses
Gods & Goddesses
Kalasam (Holy Pot)
What does this mean?
If, ordinary human beings have good thoughts and does good to others, they will be raised to great men, then to saints and finally merge with God.
On the other hand, if they tend to have bad thoughts and do evil to others he will go down to animal level and step by step become an insect in future lives!
The science of Golu
Why are clay statue and doll based festivals celebrated towards end of
or after the rains?
ExamplesGolu
Ganesh ChaturtiDurga Puja
To remove excess mud / clay …
Such festivals increase demand for clay
The clay suppliers take out the clay from canals and river beds
This results in automatic dredging and de-silting and prevents future flooding
Smart No ?
What do people do on Golu days?
Visit each others houses to admire Golu decorations, for haldi kumkum, sings songs, AND….
Eat SOOOONDAL ….
SOONDAL – a spicy dish made of boiled gram or beans or groundnuts
Did you know Golu is celebrated in Japan too !!!! ?
The Japanese call it Hinamatsuri , that is Doll's Day or Girls' Day.
They celebrate it on March 3rd
Red carpet covered Platforms are used to display a set of ornamental dolls representing the Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress.
Court of Dolls
