Tadariptri: Talaricheruvu, a small village in Andhra Pradesh, continues to nurture a 500-year-old tradition on the night of the full moon. The entire village, comprising around 1500 people, comes together on the night of Magha Purnami to observe a unique ritual involving abandoning their homes and gathering at a common location.
To add more flavour to a somewhat superstitious custom, every family locks the doors of their houses while the residents head for a mass exodus. They head towards the outskirts of their locality, taking along their livestock.
The village and their livestock, including cows, buffaloes, sheep, and chickens, spend the entire full moon hours outside the village and return once the period ends.
Tales of 'Bad Omen'
On Wednesday, the centuries-old ritual was practiced again in the village when Magha Pournami arrived. This year the villagers gathered at the Haji Vali Dargah, a religious site on the outskirts of Talaricheruvu, where they ate and stayed together for the entire night.
Away from their daily chores, the tradition allows them to bond together, bringing collective happiness and celebration, but the origin of this custom is still unclear. Some say the ritual is rooted in ancient beliefs tied to the full moon, while others view it as a cultural practice passed through generations. There are stories associated with this tradition as well.
One of the stories is that a poor Brahmin man once stole something from a rural home, but the villagers caught him and beat him to death. The occurrence brought bad omens to the community, resulting in a severe drought and several fatalities. Since the unfortunate events could not be stopped, the locals sought a remedy by meeting with temple priests, who informed them that the Brahmin curse was to blame for it. They also asked the residents to leave their village on Magha Purnima and only return at midnight by cracking coconuts at their doorsteps to prevent the curse.
Another folktale claims that a conflict between two factions in the village claimed the lives of several individuals, including priests and children, which sparked bad omens in the community. Then, following a saint's instruction to fend off bad spirits, the residents began to leave the village.
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