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Kerala’s great tradition of arcane rituals and spectacular
festivals has existed for centuries and remains an intrinsic
part of the state’s rich tapestry. Every year celebrations
take place in cities, towns and villages all over the state.
By and large there are two types of celebration: Poorams, which
take place throughout the year, are celebrations of the local
deities; Onam, which begins in August and runs into September,
is the celebration of harvest season. Each location hosts its
own distinctive occasion, which will typically involve marvellous
parades of caparisoned elephants, colourful floats, artists
and musicians. Locals and visitors line the streets to admire
the spectacle, participating in scenes which are filled with
joy and steeped in history.
Below is a list of festivals which we particularly recommend.
They are ordered as they appear in the calendar.
Nercha Festival, Pattambi
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In early February, the Nercha festival,
held in memory of Aloor Valiya Pookunjikoya Thangal (a
Muslim saint of Malabar), is a delicious feast of vivid
colours and vibrant music. The entire town of Pattambi,
which is situated 60km outside Palakkad, is brilliantly
illuminated with bright lights and intricate decorations
as the stage is set for a magnificent parade of over seventy
caparisoned elephants, one of the largest pageants seen
in India. The evening culminates on the banks of the river
Bharathapuzha where, with the gathering of colourful floats,
musical ensembles strike up, folk-artists take to the
stage and fireworks fill the sky. |
Thrissur Pooram (‘The Festival of Festivals’), Thrissur
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The Thrissur Pooram, which is held in the Malayalam month
of Medam (April/May), is commonly regarded
as one of the defining emblems of cultural Kerala. Introduced
during the reign of Sakthan Thampuran towards the end
of the eighteenth century, this famous Pooram sees the
staging of a contest, which is both athletic and artistic,
between the city’s two geographical divisions, Paramekkavu
and Thiruvambadi. After two long processions in which
the rivals attempt to outshine one another with sophisticated
sights and sounds, the event reaches its pinnacle when
the two trains meet, like armies on a battlefield, at
the entrance to the Vaddukanatha temple. Two lines of
fifteen majestically caparisoned tuskers stand face to
face, unfazed by the thundering rhythms of chenda melam.
This quintessentially Keralan music, which on this occasion
features over a hundred hard-skinned, cylindrical chenda
drums, crashing cymbals and woodwind instruments, not
only mesmerises the crowd but also provides the structure
around which the whole procession progresses. As drummers
drum faster to prove their prowess and trumpeters join
the cacophony the noise and tempo builds to the climax:
the kudamattan. In a dazzling display of strength, agility
and timing those astride the elephants perform the synchronised
and highly stylistic removal of headdresses. Amidst such
scenes of splendour, celebrations continue well into the
night until a spectacular fireworks display takes place
in the early hours of the morning. |
Nehru Trophy Snakeboat Race, Alppuzha
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On the second Saturday of August every
year, the backwaters of Kerala hosts one of the most eagerly
anticipated events on the calendar. Magnificent chundum
vallam (longboats) compete for the prized trophy instituted
by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India.
Each boat, with raised rears designed to resemble the
hood of a cobra, is propelled by over 100 oarsmen who
row to the rhythm of the Vanchipattu (Song of the Boatman)
sung by the 25 singers on board. With a number of prize
categories and 16 boats competing for each, the enormity
of the spectacle is bewildering. And with the colourful
pre-race pageant in the morning and thousands of spectators
dressed to impress, it is a day of both glamour and glory
from start to finish. |
Aranmula Vallomkali, Pathanamthitta
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Towards the end of Onam Festival (September),
the village of Aranmula, situated 30km south of Kottayam,
hosts its own Snakeboat Regatta. Crowds gather on the
banks of the Pampa River to admire a remarkable procession
of elaborately decorated longboats. Unlike the fiercely
competitive race at Alappuzha, the mood of this occasion
is light-hearted, but it remains a majestical occasion. |
Shri Purnatrayisa Temple Festival, Ernakulam
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Situated 12km south of Ernakulam, in the town of Thripunitra,
the Shri Purnatrayisa temple hosts a seven-day festival
in October/November which features various
forms of theatre, music and dance, including all-night
performances of Kathakali, the bizarre but beautiful ‘story-plays’
that incorporate all three. Inside the lamplit grounds
of the temple, massive percussion orchestras playing chenda
melam accompany a majestical procession of elephants,
decorated with golden regalia. This is a good opportunity
to catch a Kathakali concert Although the temple is usually
closed to non-Hindus, permission is granted to appropriately
dressed visitors (men must wear a lungi and remove their
shirt, while women should wear a sari). |
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