In a first, women take part in tiger dance

In a first, four women broke into a male bastion by participating in the annual Pulikali (tiger dance) event.

The event, where hundreds of people paint their bodies in dots and stripes and wear masks of tiger and leopard faces, is part of a two century-old tradition during Onam festivities.

Three of the participating women represented Viyyur, one of the 10 teams, each with a maximum of 51 members. A group of women also doubled up as cheerleaders. Percussion artistes and tableaux accompanied the participating teams in the processions as they entered Thrissur town.

The last leg of the Onam celebrations on Saturday was marked by two popular annual fixtures – Uthrittathi vallam kali (boat race) at Aranmula in Pathanamthitta district and Pulikali in Thrissur.

About 50 palliyodams (snake boats) raced in Aranmula with thousands cheering from the banks of river Pampa. The finals were held in two batches. Snake boats from Mallapuzhassery and Thymaravunkara emerged winners in the event.

The annual regatta is held in connection with the anniversary of the installation of the idol at the Parthasarathy temple in Aranmula.

The week-long Onam celebrations will conclude with the annual pageantry at Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.