Kerala
wakes up to some festival or the other every day of the year and
Keralites are addicted to the festivals. In short ‘
Keralisation’ of the festivals of different communities is
the unique feature of Kerala life.
Onam Festival Tour
Onam in August September every year is the most popularly
celebrated ,ten day singing dancing ,festing and religious
ceremonies. This harvest festival is celebrated to welcome the
legendary king Mahabali. Intricate floral decorations are made on
the courtyard to welcome this king on his visit to his beloved
subjects. The most exciting feature of the festival however, is
the snake boat races held at several places on the palm-fringed
lagoons.
Attukal Pongala
Attukal Pongala this is the one and the only temple festival in
the world where lakhs of women assembled together to make
offerings by cooking a pudding for the goddess in the Attukal
temple. It is taken home after the chief priest of the temple
will come and sprinkle the holy water and will shower the
flowers. This festival will come to an end in the evening with a
procession from the temple.
Nehru Trophy Boat Race
Nehru Trophy Boat Race is one of those events which the people of
Kerala look forward to with excitement. Pavilions are set up for
the spectators on the banks and in the middle of Punnamada Lake
the venue of the race. This boat race takes its name from
India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who
inaugurated in 1952. There are separate races for women too. The
race begins with a colourful pageant of floats performing arts
and decorated boats and goes on late into the evening.
Payippad Jelotsavam
Payippad Jelotsavam held in memory for the Prathista ceremony of
Haripad Subramanya temple and therefore has a religious
significance. This festival is celeberated for three days
commencing from the Onam festival day. Snake boat processions are
taken out on the first two days and competitive boat race take
place on the third day.
Thrissur Pooram
Thrissur Pooram festival is a mammoth spectacle with arrays of
thirty caparisoned elephants bedecked with gold ornaments. Each
elephant is ridden by three mahouts holding projects symbolizing
royalty. As the elephants line up facing each other in two
straight rows, still in their disciplined dignity, the ancient
resonance of Panchavadyam, the five instruments of
conch,cymbals,trumpet and two kinds of drums build up a
crescendo.
Pongal Festival
Pongal festival is the first festival beginning off each new year
in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. As the dates for pongal
festival are calculated by the solar calander (ie. Western), the
dates of January 13-16 never change. When the harvest is over,
the people of Tamil Nadu express their gratitude to the gods, the
earth and their cattle. For four days, they celebrate with
abandon and worship with devotion. Each day of this festival has
a special significance, however, it is celebrated more grandly in
the villages, while the city folk mainly celebrate on the second
day only.
Kolam ( Rangoli) :-
Preparations for the festival of pongal start early and the first
thing that is always found in Hindu homes before the start of
"Pongal Festival" or "Harvest Festival" is the 'kolam'. This is a
form of decoration for the Hindus' homes. This decorative pattern
is made with rice flour & is usually drawn on the floor,
outside the door in tamilnadu. The kolams serve as a symbol of
welcoming guests to the entrance of the house. At the center of
the Kolam is a lump of cow-dung, which holds a five-petalled
pumpkin flower-a symbol of fertility and an offering of love to
the presiding deity.











