The richness of the culture and heritage of the region of Kasargod is showcased in its arts and festivals.the land of Kasargod houses a number of some fantastic fantasies, major crowed-pullers. Cock fight, Yakshgana, buffalo race, and a number of other things, enchant the visitors each year. Kasargod is a place where Hindus, Muslims and Christians live peacefully together, adapting and accepting eachother’s culture. Religious tolerance and communal harmony are two remarkable features of the locals of Kasargod. Different languagaes spoken by the people is not an obstacle. You can find temples, mosques, churches all together.
Hindus, Muslims and Christians.are a part of the main religious groups of this district.
Hindus
Hindu community of Kasargod includes Brahmins, Nairs, Ambalavasis, Thiyyas, Yadavas and Kammalas. These castes are further segregated into sub-castes. There is even segregation on the basis of occupation. They celebrate each of their festival with great joy and enthusiasm.
Muslims
The Muslims of Kasargod are very religious and follow all their customs in a staunch manner and are complete devote. Along with offering prayers on individual and group events, they also offer prayers on funerals and Ramzan.the Prdah System is followed strictly.
Christians
The eastern part of the district is Christians dominatant.m mainly in the hilly areas that have been converedt into plantation by them. , Bedadukka, Pulingome, Thanapuram, Kanhiradukkam, Panathady, Cheemen, Karivedakam, Mallakkallu and more are their main settlements.
Fairs and festivals
Various festivals are celebrated in Kasargod with great enthusiasm. Some of the festivals that are pompously celebrated in Kasargod are Onam, Vishu, Ganesh Chathurti, Nagara Panchami and Malik Deenar Uroos. Eid, Bakrid, Muharram and ‘Milad-e-Sheriff’ are popular Muslim festivals celebrated in Kozhikode. The celebrations of Milad-e-Sheriff are inclusive of various kinds of competitions, cultural activities and processions by the students of Madrassa. Shivratri, Deepavali, Dasara and Navaratri are celebrated with equal joy.
A small place, Mogral is quite popular for Mappilappattu, a traditional festival of the Malabar region. Along with this, there are other local festivals like Kumbala Bedi Utsava and Moodappaseva, which is a local festival celebrated at the Madhur Temple.
Yakshaganam–One of the major attractions of Kasargod, Yakshaganam is a musical dance drama. Actually, it is the main folk art form of this town where the performers dance on the beats of the songs. These songs have special themes that are inspired from the mythological epics Ramayana, Mahabharata and more. Bayalattu and Bommayattu are two forms of this festival.
Theyyam- Theyyam is an extremely popular ritualistic dance form of Kasargod, which is performed in the temples. The divine formations in this dance form are seen as the representations of the deities of these temples.
Sarvajanika Ganeshotsavam: When the celebrations of Ganesh Chathurthi (a public holiday in Kasaragod) are going on, another festival of Sarvajanika Ganeshotsava is celebrated in the month of September, each year. The local people celebrate this festival under the flag of Sarvajanika Ganeshotsava Samithi in Kasaragod. A huge clay idol of Lord Ganesha is made and then decorated for a span of 5-7 day pooja.
Livelihood
The main sources of livelihood of the region are fishing, coir and handloom industries. Along with this, Agriculture is also the mainstay of the people of the district who grow cash crops like ginger, coconut, areca nut, rubber, cashew and more. Kasargod or Kasargod is also a very well-known backwater destination that also houses a number of other popular tourist attractions including Bekal Fort, Ananthapura Lake Temple etc.
Kasargod District has great opportunities for small and medium industries. There is a great scope for a number of industries in sectors including construction materials, engineering, textiles, wood-based minerals and agro processing etc.
Languages
The chief languages of Kasargod are Malayalam and Kannada. Other widely spoken languages are Tulu, Beary bashe and Konkani along with Marathi, Hindi and Urdu. The Malayali spoken here has touches from Beary bashe, Urdu, Kannada, Konkani and Tulu. Similarly, Kannada and Tulu spoken here have touches of Malayalam.
Sports
Games like Softball, Football, Cricket, Kabadi and Softball are played here. Football is played largely in Padanna, Trikkarippur and Mogral. Popular players like Mohammed Rafi, Rafeeq Padanna and H A Khalid are from Mogral. This place also has Mogral Sports Club, the oldest club formed in 1920. Thalangara is quite well- known for another popular sports- Cricket. Kabadi is widely played in the northern region mainly Kumbla from where popular player Jagadish Kumbla comes.
Buffalo race
The festival of Buffalo race is not only a unique festival of Kasargod but it is also a major crowd puller. Related to the agrarian life of the locals, the buffalo race is organized from the freshly ploughed paddy fields and it is a chief attraction of the tourists. Quite similar to the cock fight, the festival is part of the cultural heritage of Tulunadu. As this is a banned festival, it is organized secretly.
Cock fight
Another major rural attraction here is Cock-fight, which has got a legendary origin and also finds its references in the folk songs of Malabar. Till the present times. These cock fights are a prime part of various temple festivals, mainly in the northern parts of the district of Kasargod. As this festival is banned it is organized in a secretive manner.
