Kolattam

The dance is usually dedicated to Hindu gods or goddesses.^[4] The dance is performed during the harvest season and for a fortnight in the Karthigai month of Tamil calendar.^[3] The dance is often part of village festivities and fairs.^[8]

The dance is practiced in South India predominantly in Tamil Nadu and in Kerala and in other regions with significant Tamil diaspora such as Sri Lanka and Malaysia.^[7][1][2] The dance is performed during religious ceremonies, functions and festivals such as Pongal, generally by women.^[9] While the proper dance requires technique and skill with intricate movements, it is practiced by amateur dancers as well.^[8]

There are different variants such as pinnal kolattam (an intricate form of the kolattam) and chakke kolattam.^[4][10] Pinnal kolattam uses ropes instead of sticks.^[3] Kummiattam is a folk dance similar to Kolattam, with the difference being that hands are used to make sounds while dancing in kummiattam instead of sticks used in the later.^[2] The dancers form a rhythm by clapping the hands in different postures.^[11] A similar dance form practiced in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is known as Kolannalu.^[12] In Karnataka it is known as Kolata.^[13][14] Dandiya Raas practiced in Gujarat and parts of North India uses similar sticks and has some commonalities with kolattam.^[15][6] Sometimes, long colored ribbons are used instead of sticks to dance.^[16] In the recent years, men are also involved in the dance and children often dance in school festivities.^[8]