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| Festivals
of Puthuppally Valiya Pally |
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The Feast of St George
is celebrated annually as a festival on May 6 and 7. The preparation for the great occasion starts ten days in advance, when the church flag is hoisted amidst shouts of joy and excitement from a large group of devoted people belonging to many faiths and religions.
The flag hoisting is an auspicious occasion. Two tall full-grown arecanut trees without any defect are selected, one from Puthuppally and the other from
Ericadu. The owners then dedicate the palms to 'Punnyavalachen' and gift them to the people of respective areas. The trees are then cut down to be carried in ceremonial procession to the church. |
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The shifting of the palms from its original site to the church compound gets of to a musical start. As the procession wends its way to the beating of drums and clashing of cymbals, the accompanying crowd sings and dances, the sky above reverberating with their shouts of joy. Once the palms reach the church compound, skilled carpenters dress them. They are then decorated and erected as flag staffs. Once the flags are hoisted, there is musical display of drums by skilled artists every evening.
The 'Rasa' - a train of enthusiasts filled with devotion, and emotionally charged - has been an unavoidable part of the
'perunal'. At present, there are three sets starting from different places at dusk -
Puthuppally, Kochalumood and Eravinallor. |
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| Firewood
Procession |
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| A body of musicians playing wind and percussion instruments, bandsets and native drums constitute the accompanying orchestra. Clad in vestments appropriate to the occasion, priests walk with the moving line under a held up
canapy. People holding colorful umbrellas decorated with pearls at the rim
(Muthukuda) and Crosses of wood and silver, move with the crowd. The ceremonial procession is a magnificent spectacle to watch. It has an aura of celestial presence about it. When the 'Rasa' ends, begins the fire works, the two together convert the occasion into a gala night of general amusement.
The Golden Cross of 'Puthuppally Pally', famous for its workmanship and weighing 501 sovereigns
(pavan) is taken out during the Rasa. |
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Vechoot |
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The presence of the Cross adds luster to the procession. The faithful throng the entire route in the hope of having at least a glimpse of the Cross.
The ' Puthuppally Perunal ' is famous the world over for the richness and variety of its pyrotechnics. Small containers filled with explosive powders are burnt to produce a show of brilliant lights of varying hues and sounds of changing intensity and timbre. As rockets and other fire works roar into the sky, the resulting sonic boom gives the feeling that the fireworks would break the sound barrier. |
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A ritualistic but meaningful activity in connection with the perunal is the offering of firewood. Many people, mostly men, walk to the church holding a piece of wood or two and offer them to the Saint. The main celebration is on May 7, the second day. The day break is announced by the church bell. The
holy 'Khurbana' , the first one, starts at 5.30a.m and the second at 9 a.m. The congregation attending the service is so large that the church has to employ closed circuit T.V arrangement. |
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After the second mass, community lunch ('Vechoot') is served. Devotees squat down and accept the food with reverence. Many devotees prefer to carry the lunch with them and share it with people at home. Some dry the lunch and keep it to be used as cures for various illnesses.
During the Perunal season many types of offerings are received - Gold and Silver, Currency and Coin, live stock and fowl etc. The birds are killed and cooked, and served to the assembled worshippers. This is the last major item of the festival. Evening prayers and benedictions follow, which brings down the curtain. |
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