2.am to 5am solo adventure to watch Nava Devi Processions
Probably nowhere in our country except Mangalore, can a women be out alone from 2am to 5am on the streets filled with hundreds of devotees celebrating the victory of good over evil.
I just had to see the rows of floats and tableaus, highlighting the local culture, along with loud music, devotional chants and dancing!
The procession started with rows of giant dolls in various local costumes walking on the streets as if we were inundated by outer space beings. Devotees dressed up as tigers or men dressed up garishly as women danced as if there was no tomorrow.
One particular huge float in the shape of a chameleon really caught my attention! Others just blared loud recorded or live music for all to dance.
The high energy of the devotees in the middle of the night, the colourful costumes, the happy onlookers, the strong police force, the laughter, the local dialect…all this made my night outing even more memorable. Words really cannot express the hight intensity energy of the merger of the Goddesses and devotees on the streets that night!
So in 2018 do notice these simple smiling moments. Have a smiling year
But the highlight of the procession was when the 9 huge idols of Devi Matas, one for each day came on the colourfully lit up tableaus to the rhtytmic chants of holy songs.
I felt as if it was a night when the Goddesses themselves came down to the streets to be one with the humans. It was that surreal an ambience that made me smile in solo bliss even in the midst of all the local revellers.
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