Bride, Bridegroom exchange role in K'nataka village festival

Madikeri, Karnataka, Mar 30 (UNI) A festival called 'Pommangal' is celebrated in Birunani village at Pakerinad Shri Puthu Bhaavati temple where the main performance is the unique traditional marriage ceremony.

Here, the bridegromm would be dressed as bride and bride as bridegroom. This is the special attraction of the festival, which is celebrated every year.

People from surrounding places in this hilly district mark the celebrations also believing that childless couples would be blessed, cure from problems of childbirth and children would be protected from the attack of 'bad stars'.

The Pommangal was celebrated with ferver by hundreds of villagers wearing traditional Kodava robes at the village about 20 km from here today.

The performance was done by following the traditional Kodava marriages except the change of roles by bride and bridegrooms with a different and peculiar dress.

After the mass feeding, the girl and the boy would go round the temple with warm welcome from the locals drum-beat.

After they offer pooja, both of them would exchange their dress.

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