Chavittunatakam

Chavittunatakam is a colourful Christian art form which is popular in the districts of Thrissur, Ernakulam and Alappuzha. Its origins are associated with the coming of the Portuguese, who wanted a cultural medium to propagate their religion and its stories. Collaborating with the Malayali scholars, they developed a new art form which is chavittunatakam. It has elements borrowed from both European (eg. western costumes) and Kerala art forms (eg. Kalaripayattu, the martial art of Kerala). The themes are stories from the Bible and heroic exploits of legendary Christian warriors like Charlemagne. Spiritual, moral and historical themes also figure in these performances which have been in existence since the 18th century. The performers used to learn the art through the gurukula system.

The art form acquired its name from its distinctive feature of performers pounding (chavittu= stamping) on the dance floor which produces a resonant sound that emphasizes and highlights the drama in the story. The performance is a musical with the performers singing and acting out their characters, with exaggerated gestures and rhythmical stamping. The costumes follow the medieval European style and the performance usually has several characters. It is in effect a blend of music – instrumental (usually bell and drum) and vocal – dance and drama. The master of the dance drama is called the Annavi.

The performances are held either on open stages or church interiors, though nowadays they are mostly held indoors. It is the Latinate Roman Catholic community that performs this art form.