‘Madai’: Festival of Traditional Arts and Celebration of Traditional Artists

&

Celebration of the Arts of the Heart and the Roots!

Performances! Displays!! Interactions!!!

25, 26 and27nth October 2013

09.00am to 10.30pm

Sivanandha Thabovanam

Uppuveli Road,

Trincomalle

A program of Dept. of Hindu Cultural Affairs

Performances, Displays & interactions of the peripherals will parallels with the conventional traditional art forms!

mahidi kooththu, kooththu, kaman kooththu, thappu, udukku, parai,karaham/kumbham, polladi, kafringea, vaasaappu,  performances of veddhas, folk songs and dances, burgher music, kaaththavarayan kooththu, ponnar sankar, silambam and more and more of its kind!

Plus

‘kalari’-Traditional Theatre Construction, ‘Madaalayam’-traditional ritual architectural construction and Thoranam - traditional decorative construction!!

And

Two hundred traditional artists from all over Sri Lanka will illuminate this festival with their energy of mastery in their arts!!!

‘Madai’ is an offering of the communities for the communities!!!

Madai’: Festival of Traditional Arts and Celebration of Traditional Artists

It’s a space of interaction for artists from different places, generations, socio-cultural backgrounds and art forms!

It’s a space for sharing and performing the expertise and experiences of traditional artists!

It’s a space for engaging in dialogue on the importance and challenges of Traditional Arts in the Globalized era!

It’s a space for questioning and raising critical issues such as gender and caste in Traditional Arts!

It’s a space with performances and exhibits in order to excite and enlighten!

FOLKLORE IS THE MUSEUM OF IDEAS." Antonio Gramsci

Madai is a word of Dravidian etymology (DED 4657) from the verb root Madu, (Maduththal), meaning to take food, drink or to feed. (Also Ma'ndu > Madu)

Madai, Madaiyan (cook), Madaip-pa'l'li are derivatives.

Madai in the sense of food and food offering to God, has been used in the Changkam literature itself:

"Pal vea'ru uruvin chil avizh madai" (Ku'runthokai, 362:3)

Madaik-ka'l (toddy to drink): Natti'nai 59:5

Food offer after animal sacrifice: "Vidai veezhththu choodu kizhippa madai" (Pu'ra:naanoo'ru 366:17)

Milk rice as offering to a folk deity: "Paal madai koduththu" (Chilappathikaaram 15:117)

Food offering to Kottavai along with blood sacrifice: " Ni'ram padu kuruthi pu'rampadin allathu madai ethir ko'l'laa ...kadavu'l ayirai (Pathittuppaththu 79:16-18)

There were also references to Madai-nool (text on the art of cooking, Ma'nimeakalai 2:22)