6 Popular Festivals Of Kerala To Enjoy

Kerala is famous for its cultural heritage and religious attributes. The aesthetic place is famously known as ‘God’s own country has a lot to offer when it comes to cultural events, festivals, and rituals which take place throughout the year that make this city an awe-inspiring region not only for its dwellers but also for the visitors who visit this land of divinity, inspiration, and spirituality every now and then to experience the amazing culture and traditions of Kerala.

Let us get familiar with some of these magnificent festivals and events of this state.

# Onam

Onam is the most popular festival in Kerala. This 10-day long festival is held in the months of August and September with an elaborate and impressive showcase of South Indian traditional dances, music, and other exciting activities like boat races and other sports.

People create gorgeous Pookalam, a rangoli made by flowers in front of their houses and on roads to welcome the homecoming of their beloved King Mahabali. Huge procession elephants, thrilling boat races spectacular cultural programs of dance and music are the main attractions of this festival. All the people in and around the city get into a festive mood of celebrations by decorating their houses and exchanging gifts. Onam feast is a popular feast that includes some exclusive vegetarian dishes with delicious desserts served on banana leaves.

# Attukaal Pongal

Pongal is a sweet delicacy that is cooked in a clay pot with ingredients like jaggery, coconut, and boiled rice. This unique festival is named after the dish as this food is cooked by women on the 9th day of this 10-day long festival which is held in the month of February and March. Women of any caste or religion from various places adorn themselves gorgeously with ornaments and ethnic wear during the festival to cook Pongal. The cooked food is then presented to the Goddess Attukal Devi as an offering.

This extraordinary festival has already secured a place in the records of the Guinness Book of World for drawing the largest female crowd in 1997. The extravagant festival gets magical with the touch of cultural music and dance programs.

# Kerala Boat Festivals

The magnificent Kerala Boat Festivals are held at various lakes and rivers in Kerala where backwater rides are very popular. Kerala Boat Festivals are celebrated from July to September. Various boats of different sizes take part in Boat Races held at different points of the state. The zeal, excitement, and incredible synchronization of boat races give the audience a wholesome experience of thrill and fun.

These electrifying Boat Races across the state draw many tourists from all over the country. Some of the famous Boat Races are Nehru Trophy Boat Race at Alleppey, Champakulam Moolam Boat Race at Alapuzha, VallamKoli at Punnamada Lake, etc.

# Vishu

Vishu is celebrated to welcome the New Year according to the Malayalam calendar which falls either in the month of April or May. This is one of the major festivals in Kerala which is celebrated with a lot of traditions and rituals in order to look forward to a prosperous new year ahead.

KaniKanal or the first sight of Lord Vishu Kani marks the beginning of the day in the morning. Another tradition called Vishu Kaineettam is followed on this day where the youngsters of each family are blessed with money. A great feast called Sadya which includes some traditional South Indian dishes is enjoyed on a banana leaf.

# Thrissur Pooram

It is one of the most spectacular temple festivals in the state of Kerala. The festival is held in the month of April or May for 36 hours in Vadakkunnathan Temple which is located in Thrissur. The Lord worshipped during this festival is Lord Shiva.

This festival is celebrated with elaborate arrangements adorned elephants marching ahead with the drummers. People from different castes and religions gather at the temple to witness the splendid procession and get into the festive mood of celebrations. The festival ends with mind-blowing shows of fireworks.

# Theyyam

Theyyam is one of the most phenomenal festivals in Kerala. This spectacular festival of 400 types of cultural dances is held from the month of December to April. These 800-year-old cultural celebrations showcase traditional dancers dressed as gods and goddesses and enthrall the audience with an aura of bliss and serenity by enacting the roles of several mythological characters.

All the participants of Theeyam follow a program which includes 3 stages where they adorn themselves with flowers and colors at the first stage, they involve themselves in self-torture at the second stage and the final stage is about performing dance following a rhythm.