The Costume: The most striking feature of the Theyyam is its costume and make up. The face and body paintings are of supreme significance. In no dance form is the eye make up so emphatic. To represent the fierce deities, the eyes are blackened with mashi; thick bold strokes highlight the eyes and the face painting of a Theyyam dancer is extolled. The artist ties a headband and allows the painters to paint his face and body. Colors commonly used are red, orange, yellow, black and white as these help in playing up the aggressive features of the deity worshipped. The different patterns of face-painting for Theyyam are viradelam, kattaram, kozhipuspam, kotumpurikam, and prakkezhuthu. The face painter is at liberty to try some variety or experiment in his art but in case of the body painting is strictly dictates of tradition are adhered to. A bold colored base is painted and intricate designs made on it. The different styles of these designs depend on the Theyyam being performed. Parunthuvaal Ezhuthu (eagle’s tail) and Anchupulli Ezhuthu (five dots) are some of the styles. The head-dress, known as Muti is made out of bamboo splicings and coconut bark. This head-dress differs according to the Theyyam performed. Some such Mutis are Pookkatti, Ponmuti, Vattamuti, Chattamuti, Valiyamuti, Kondalmuti, Puthachamuti, Onkaramuti and Peelimuti. The head gear is decorated with cloth, flowers, coconut bird feathers and palm leaves. In some Theyyams very lo Mutis (50-60 feet) are also used. It is then quite a balancing act for the artist. Other jewellery worn by are ornaments such as bracelets, bangles and anklets, flower garlands and female characters are provided a breast plate fashioned out of coconut shell called mularu. The skirts are made of bamboo splices and coconut sheaths painted red and black or from red cloth tied around bamboo sticks. A red waistband is usually worn. Painted wooden masks are worn in some Theyyams. 

Divine Touch Of Theyyam:After the preliminary rituals, which are often complex and intense, an empowered man-don’s elaborate mask-like make up. The wearing of spectacular costume further enhances the illusion of becoming a divine being. The unique quality of Theyyam is that its deities can manifest themselves in the bodies of empowered men as dancer-performers, and appear before their devotees while interacting with them by answering questions, mocking the pompous, ridiculing the vain, and humiliating the arrogant. Many of the male gods are associated with Shiva, and the goddesses with Parvati. There are about 450 deities in the pantheon of Theyyam. Some are worshipped under different names in different localities, making it difficult to be exact about their numbers. Many of these have evolved out of the land, lives, social customs, and traditions of the devotees. Some are deified ancestral warrior heroes whose extraordinary exploits were seen as evidence of divinity. The same is true for the goddesses who lived and suffered as mortal women, and were later recognized as innocent and divine, such as Nharmbhil Bhagavathi and Muchilotu Bhagavathi. The performance is always preceded by preliminary rituals. Certain deities are initially honored with the tottam, or song ritual, when the artist, wearing a simple costume and with minimal makeup, sings the song that relates not only to the deity's myth, but also to the origins of his or her relationship with the particular shrine. For the more active warrior gods, a vellattam, or energetic ritual dance incorporating martial arts, is required. After this the performer will retire to a temporary structure to be made up and costumed as the actual Theyyam. When the moment comes, he will enter the shrine to complete the ancient and complex process that has already begun edging him out into an extraordinary otherness. The most sacred and powerful element of the costume, the mudi or headdress, is put on once the artist has been seated on a sacred stool in front of the sanctum. After this comes the actual moment of "becoming" the deity, the moment of crossing the line, as he stares into a small hand-held mirror. It is at this point that, almost imperceptibly, he slips into another state of being, his eyes widening as they focus not on his own reflection, but on the enigmatic features of a divine being. This is the moment of fusion, the defining moment known as mukhadarshanam, or the seeing of the face. It is the moment when a mortal becomes a god.

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