Suggi Kunitha is a festival dance in
Karnataka. It is performed by Halakki Vokkaligas, a community of Karnataka. It is carried out by 12 to 14 men, on the full moon day. The main drumming instrument used for the dance is called
Gummate.
The dancers will be dressed in beautiful costumes and wear a hat made of softwood with carvings of birds and flowers. They will carry either a stick or a pea-cock feather while dancing. The group will have a comic character called the 'sooginavaru' or 'haasyagaararu', who will entertain the audience.
The suggi procession of singing and dancing with the background of 'Gummate' is greeted in every house with aarti. The procession is believed to eradicate diseases in the village, bring rains and fulfill the wishes of the people.
