Culture
Ramlila of Awadh
The Ramayana as a people's stage. Ramnagar's lila runs for a month.
Ramlila is the tradition in which a village or a town plays the Ramayana together. Ramnagar, across from Varanasi, is known for a lila that lasts a month. UNESCO has inscribed Ramlila as intangible heritage. It is not a spectacle for outsiders alone. The audience is the town, and Rama is chosen from among them.
Kajari in the rains and Chaiti in spring are Awadh's other memory in song. If you go to a lila, learn the courtesy of the crowd as well as the stage. Show children one episode whole. Half a scene does not become a katha.
This is a general introduction. Sequence, materials, and timing change with family, region, and shakha. Your priest and your own custom have the last word.