Karkkitaka Maasam

Men, Women and children offer Bali to ancestors. Hindu customs and rituals give much importance to the rituals that are to be performed after the death. In Malayalam these rituals are commonly denoted as shesha kriya (shesham means after and kriya denotes rituals). According to the Hindu custom, if a member of the family dies, the younger ones in the family have to perform Bali (also called Pithru Tharpanam) to liberate the soul from the shackles of this worldly life and to help the soul achieve eternal peace. It is a means for those performing the Bali to seek the blessings of the departed. The Bali carried out on Karkkitaka Vavu day is called Vavu Bali which is of great importance.

The regular custom is to perform the ritual on the basis of the calculations on the star of the day the family member has died. However, Karkkitaka Vavu Bali is performed regardless of these calculations. The rites are conducted as per the Hindu custom. Hindus in Kerala never fail to perform this ritual on the day of Karkkitaka Vavu.

It is advised that the person performing the Bali consume rice (or preparations made of rice) only once on the previous day. This practice is called orikkal.