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Bommala Koluvu: It
is the artistic display of toys and dolls by the women during the
Dussehra festival.
Buda Budakkala:
It is a term given to the singing minstrels who go
about from place to place after the break of dawn to awaken the
people with a special prayer to goddess "Amba" followed
by an invocation to the village deities.
This is particularly common in the remote villages of
Srikakulam, East Godavari, Guntur, Prakasam and Nalgonda
districts. Thbe buda budakkala minstrels are usually men and can be seen in the
rustic villages singing, foretelling and getting alms in return.
Popularly known as Ramjogis,
Saayila vallu, Buda Budakkala vallu, their presence is a must
in the villages during the harvest festival of Sankranti. The buda
budakkala minstrel finds a mention in many of the Telugu
literary texts. His style of dressing has also been vividly
described in Ayyalaraju Narayanamatya's "Hamsa Vimsati".
Gangireddu Aata:
It is the name given to the "the bull play",
a very popular form in Andhra Pradesh, especially seen during
Sankranti and Dussehra festivals, where bulls are trained to dance
or perform acrobatics to entertain the crowd. The bull master,
belonging to the Yadava community, accompanies the bull playing
the nadaswaram and the dhol. The Gangireddu Aata is perhaps one of
the very few rural entertainments that have survived through
times.
Haridaasu:
Haridaasu or Daasarlu is a form of devotional singing
dedicated to Lord Vishnu, which is noticed more often during the
Sankranti. The
traditional haridaasu
with his characteristic tambura
in one hand and a chiratala
in the other and a copper vessel on the head goes round the
village singing devotional songs in praise of the Lord and seeks
alms from every house. He renders popular devotional songs written
by saint-poets like Bhadrachala Ramdas, Paramkusadas, Venkatadas
and Hanumaddas. Since the haridaasus
use any one of the varied musical instruments prevalent in Andhra
Pradesh, there emerged different types of haridaasus
like tambura haridaasu,
ganta haridaasu, chiratala haridaasu and
komma haridaasu. Over the years, people of different faiths
and communities joined this group of haridaasus and there evolved
various classes of these devotee minstrels like golla
haridaasu, mala haridaasu and balije
haridaasu.
Karra Saamu:
It is the stick fight performed during village festivals and
marriage processions by the men folk mainly in the villages of
Guntur, Krishna, East and West Godavari districts. The performers
use musical instruments like the dappu, "bigli" (whistle) and "taasha" which
produces fierce inspiring noise. Sometimes the Karra Saamu experts
fight with sticks that have flames burning at one end.
Oggu Katha:
This is a form of devotional singing practised by the
Kumaras, a sub-sect of the Yadavas, in praise of Lord Shiva. Oggu
Katha got its name from the invoking instrument, the "oggu".
In this, the traditional priests called oggus
perform the marriage of Mallanna (family God) with Bhramarambha
(deity) and narrate stories in their praise. The Oggu Katha team
consists of 4 to 6 members with a chief narrator and
instrumentalists. Oggu Katha is popular in the ballad tradition of
Andhra Pradesh, especially in Telangana, because of the
dramatization of its narration.
Sodi: It is the
practice of fortune telling by women, which is prevalent in the
Rayalseema regions. The sodis
are both Vaishanavas (followers of Vishnu) and Saivas (followers
of Shiva). They are usually nomadic, wandering from one village to
the other. They announce their presence in the villages by
shouting. |