Famous Festivals Of Kerala
Kerala, a rich cultural state in South India is an absolute aspect of the spirit of celebration. Festivals of Kerala mean high-spiritedness, mouth-watering food and a variety of prayers and rituals. The magnitude of festivities in Kerala elevates the Indian culture.
Onam is famous harvest festival of the state which is celebrated with great enthusiasm throughout the state of India. Onam is celebrated on the ‘Thiruvonam’ day of Malayalam month ‘Chingam’. It is celebrated to welcome the King Mahabali (the demon ruler of Kerala) who comes down to earth on the day of Onam to bless his followers and devotees. All people irrespective of religious beliefs or colour difference celebrate this festival. The national festival of Kerala coincides with the harvesting season of Kerala. The atmosphere also seems to join the celebration, with the blooming of a variety of flowers and sighting of a lot of butterflies, and songs of birds.
Declared the National Festival of Kerala in the early 60’s the vibrant festival incorporates traditional dances, folk songs, snake boat races, intricate flower designs, games and feasting all across the sunny state. The first and tenth day of the event are the most revered of the festival although Keralites gear up for all ten days of the cultural carnival with newly bought clothes, gifts for relatives and freshly made feasts complete with regional specialties.
The festival of Onam is celebrated with zeal and enthusiasm and is a synonym to prosperity and vivacity. If you attend the festival during your trip to Kerala, you can see and enjoy the fun filled activities during the festival. People actively engage in a variety of activities like boat racing, pulikali (dressing up like tigers or leopards on two feet), ball games, playing marbles, playing dramas and the list of activities is endless. Women also engage in dancing, singing etc. The folklore of Kerala comes out in the best form during this festival. Plethora of dance forms such as Kathakali, Kummatti Kali and Kaikotti Kali are also performed during Onam.
Pongal is also very popular festival of Kerala especially in women. The festival of Pongal is celebrated in the month of January to pay respect and honour to Sun God, nature and cattle. This festival is the series of four festivals; Bhogi Pongal, Surya Pongal, Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal. The festival is celebrated for ten days. Prayer, songs and folk dances are integral part of Pongal celebration. The grand Pongala festival is held on the ninth day when women of Kerala flock the temple and offer the god some sacrifices for the completion of their wishes.
Vishu is also very prominent festival of the state which s celebrated with great enthusiasm. The festival is celebrated in the month of April. The major event of the Vishu celebration is ‘Kani-kanal’. Kani is decorated with the Coconuts, fruits, cereals and Konna flowers and considered the place of god. Behind Kani, a mirror and a garlanded statue of Krishna are placed. According to the believes of the people of Kerala, if you see Kani, good luck will stay with you throughout the life.
Another very popular festival of the state is the Elephant festival which is celebrated for 7 days in the month of April. This festival was started in 18th century by the Sakthan Thampuran and is famous for its elephant procession in which the elephants are decorated from head to tail. The entire procession of elephant looks very fabulous. On these days temples are beautifully decorated.
On this special festival, people decorate their house with various decorative items such as wall paintings, flower vases, showpieces etc. and add special charm to the interior of the house.
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