From Smithsonian Photo of the Day; May 24, 2018:
Pulikali
Pulikali (Tiger Dance) is among the most famous folk artforms in Kerala. On the fourth day of the harvest festival of Onam, in Thrissur district artists paint their bodies like tigers with stripes of yellow, red and black, and dance to the rhythm of traditional percussion instruments such as thakil, udukku and chenda.The main theme of this folk art is tiger hunting with participants playing the role of tiger and hunter. The make-up for the same is applied using oil paints and is said to be extremely hard to remove. Regardless, every year during Onam, the streets of Thrissur attract people from across the State and the world to view this special event.
Photographer: Sanghamitra Sarkar; Kalyani, India
