Kerala women and their elegance are often symbolized by visual signifiers such as off-white attire, gold jewellery, hair adorned with jasmine and Tulsi, and graceful, subtle movements. An iconic dance form that embodies these feminine attributes is the folk dance Kaikottikali, also known as Thiruvathirakali. This group dance is traditionally performed by Hindu women. Kaikottikali, which literally means "dance with claps," involves clapping the palms and clapping palms with fellow dancers. This dance form is ceremonially performed on the auspicious day of Thiruvathira- celebrated on the Thiruvathira star of the month of Dhanu, according to the Malayalam calendar, which falls between December 15 and January 15, hence Kaikottikkali is also known as Thiruvathirakali. The Onam festival is another occasion when Kaikottikali is performed. 

Tradition
According to legend, the day when Lord Shiva appeared before Goddess Parvati, pleased with her penance to have Shiva as her husband, and accepted Parvati as his wife is celebrated as Thiruvathira. It is also believed to be the birthday of Lord Shiva. Thiruvathirakali is performed by women to attain marital bliss on the Thiruvathira eve. There are several ritual practices associated with the Thiruvathira festival, with slight variations in different regions of Kerala. Married women perform the rituals for the long life of their husbands, while unmarried women perform it to get a good marriage. 

Preparation for the festival begins several days in advance, starting with an early morning, cold water shower, and women do fasting on the day of Thiruvathira avoiding rice and heavy food. The eve of Thiruvathira is significant, as families stay awake throughout the night and perform several rituals. At night, women adorn their hair with special herbs called Dashapushpam (10 locally grown medicinal herbs) and chew betel leaves with arecanut, known as Thambulam or Murukkan, marking the start of the Thiruvathira celebration. The dance is part of the midnight ceremonies on Thiruvathira eve. The Thiruvathira day celebration begins with the conclusion of the dance, followed by an early morning bath in ponds. The fasting starts with drinking tender coconut water and having a special breakfast made with arrowroot powder. Participating in Thiruvathira rituals is believed to bring a healthy, happy, and long marital life for women.

Other than Thiruvathira celebration, the art form is also performed as entertainment on Onam day by women. Kaikottikali/ Thiruvathirakali is believed to have been predominantly performed by the elite upper-class Hindu communities, such as Namboothiris, Nairs, and Ambalavasis. The dance is also performed on other occasions such as Namboothiri weddings. Kaikottikali was a part of the lifestyle, hence there was no formal training system as in classical dance forms. Children from a young age observe the dance form, and once they reach their teenage years, they start to dance with the team of elders, thus continuing the tradition. Thiruvathira songs were also sung by elder people separately at homes.

Performance
Kaikottikali is typically a female dance where eight to ten women stand in a circle with an oil lamp (Nilavilakku) at the centre. The performance begins with a recital in praise of Lord Ganesha, who removes all obstacles, followed by a Saraswathi sthuthi (praising verses), as Saraswathi is the goddess of all arts. This is followed by padams (songs), and towards the end, there is a special part called Kummi, which is a fast version, and then the performance concludes with the salutation part called Mangalam. For the Thiruvathira occasion, the songs are related to Lord Shiva and Parvati, although there are songs based on other stories from Hindu Puranas and in praise of other Gods like Krishna and Bhagavathi, or local deities. The singers start the song, and the dancers follow, initiating the steps. The movements involve subtle footwork, consisting of forward, backward, and sideways movements. Clapping one's own hands and also clapping each other's hands, along with special steps of sitting on toes, half-bending the knees, quick but subtle jumps in a rhythmic way, and changes in position are some of the typical movement patterns in the dance.

Women wear traditional attire - Mundu and Neryathu, a pair of long cloths, one worn as the bottom cloth with a feet length, and the second one worn as an upper cloth. The dancers use traditional gold jewellery and adorn their hair buns with jasmine flowers and Tulsi. For Thiruvathira day, they also wear the ten herbs on their hair buns. Traditionally, no instruments are used for Kaikottikali other than cymbals, as the dance was not performed professionally but as part of family ceremonies. Thiruvathirakali has evolved from being an upper-class Hindu art to a typical representation of Kerala arts and festival culture. There are numerous public venues where performances happen frequently as part of special occasions, and women irrespective of religion and caste participate. There are performers and troupes who professionally provide training in Kaikottikali/Thiruvathirakali and Thiruvathira songs throughout Kerala.