That is because the concerts are held in December and through into January!

December is Christmas time alright but very little of the Christian festival is celebrated in Madras where Christians form about 2.5% of the city's population.

For the Hindus though it is the Tamil month of Margazhi, a time for devotion - the dawn of the Gods. And the very roots of South Indian classical music is this bhakthi, or devotion, and music has been one of the most important and traditional forms of worship.

The weather is very pleasant at this time of the year, there's a nip in the air, and even a chill around if the monsoon has dragged on into late November. So it is the best time for kutcheris (concerts).

The December Music season came into stay when The Music Academy began holding the concerts during its first annual conference in 1929 and then decided that a week long music festival be held to coincide with Christmas week. The logic was sound.

The courts were closed during that period and the sahibs were having several rounds of merrymaking. The native society leaders were at a loose end and this gave them something to do. And the city now has a 'Music season'.

Madras, now called Chennai, is the Mecca of South Indian dance and music, and every artiste feels privileged to perform here during the 'season'.

The festival traces its roots to a rather loose origin when an 'All-India music conference' was held as part of a political conference of the Indian National Congress party in 1927. Those were the days when the country was warming up to the idea of independence.

That festival with a few concerts was held in the cool December season. And it was held at the Music Academy, which is considered the grand-mom of the music