Kerala · Field guide · 9 min
Flagship · Kerala and Theyyam
Kerala, in the season of the Gods.
Theyyam is a living sacred practice of North Malabar, carried by particular families and watched by whole villages. Start here, then follow Kerala outward.
The season
Late October to the end of May, on the dry side of the monsoon.
The season opens on the tenth of Thulam and runs to about mid-Edavam, with performances busiest from January to April. Outside it there is little to see, which is when this journal does its slow work.
Kannur's rainfall shows why the calendar sits where it does.
The Theyyam season follows the dry months
Modelled average monthly rainfall in Kannur (mm), June to May
- In the season
- Season starts or ends
- Outside the season
View as table
| Month | Rainfall (mm) | Theyyam season |
|---|---|---|
| June | 615 | Outside |
| July | 555 | Outside |
| August | 362 | Outside |
| September | 210 | Outside |
| October | 230 | Starts or ends |
| November | 75 | In season |
| December | 19 | In season |
| January | 5 | In season |
| February | 4 | In season |
| March | 21 | In season |
| April | 83 | In season |
| May | 231 | Starts or ends |
72%
of Kannur's modelled yearly rain falls from June to September
1,742 of about 2,410 mm
2%
of Kannur's modelled yearly rain falls from December to March, the heart of the season
About 49 mm in four months
About 400
Theyyam forms are performed across North Malabar
Source: Kerala Tourism
Most of Kerala's visitors never reach the north
Domestic tourist visits by district, 2024
- Kannur and Kasaragod (Theyyam heartland)
- Other districts
View as table
| District | Domestic visits | Foreign visits |
|---|---|---|
| Ernakulam | 4,329,536 | 268,614 |
| Thiruvananthapuram | 3,921,054 | 171,095 |
| Idukki | 3,830,186 | 136,883 |
| Thrissur | 2,775,175 | 18,700 |
| Kozhikode | 1,334,089 | 14,224 |
| Wayanad | 1,288,135 | 3,955 |
| Kannur | 857,686 | 2,649 |
| Malappuram | 823,026 | 11,449 |
| Alappuzha | 705,993 | 46,470 |
| Palakkad | 613,025 | 1,459 |
| Kottayam | 609,752 | 49,318 |
| Kollam | 488,167 | 9,048 |
| Pathanamthitta | 386,300 | 735 |
| Kasaragod | 284,865 | 3,775 |
Kerala in numbers
The visitors go south. The rituals are north.
Kerala logged 22.2 million domestic and 738,374 foreign tourist visits in 2024. Kannur and Kasaragod, where most Theyyam happens, took a small slice of both.
5.1%
of domestic visits
1,142,551 of 22,246,989
0.9%
of foreign visits
6,424 of 738,374
Four short reads on Theyyam
What is Theyyam?
A ritual in which a performer is believed to embody a deity.
The season
Where and when it happens, and how to read the calendar.
Who performs
Families who carry a hereditary duty, and how to honour it.
How to be a good guest
Quiet, covered, unhurried: a short code for visitors.
Stories from Kerala
All stories →
Data story · Kerala · 6 min
Kerala has more visitors than ever. Few of them go north.
Culture · 9 min
A Slow Traveller's Guide to Kerala's Temples
The season calendar
A public Theyyam calendar, opening this season.
Dates, villages and which performances welcome visitors, gathered in one place and built with temple committees and families. Leave your email and we will write when it opens.
For temple committees and families
Run a kavu, or know a date? Add it.
The calendar is only as good as the people who share it. Every entry is checked with the committee before it appears, and nothing is listed without their consent.
Our promise
How we write about a living ritual.
Consent first
Performers, families and temple committees are asked before they are photographed or quoted.
Credit and share
Contributors are named, and where money is involved we say where it goes.
No staging
We describe rituals as they happen, never as a show arranged for a camera.