Kerala,
the southernmost state of India, is supposed to have received its name from the
words Kera meaning coconut and Alam meaning land. The land of coconut trees soon
became Keralam and now Kerala, popular
for the amazing and full length Kerala tourism packages. Long back, this land was a part of the Thamizhakam or the present
Tamil Nadu along with the Chera, Chola and Pandya regions. For the same reasons,
you will find great similarities in the culture and art forms of the two
states. Kerala derived its identity among the travellers through Vasco Da Gama,
the Portuguese explorer who accidentally landed on the Kappad beach during his
travel. He was so fascinated by the natural landscapes and the exotic spices
that he soon led the way to establishing a trade route between some of the rich
European countries and Kerala. Soon more traders and travellers started
visiting this beautiful land of exotic flavours and we developed our mix of
culture from those Greek, Arabs, Jews, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Europeans
and the British who settled down here.
Of course, we always had a great rich culture to
nurture and added on whatever more came in interesting. The popular belief is
that Parasurama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu created this beautiful land from
the sea. He threw his axe into the sea and the sea gave way to this rich and
resourceful land is one of the myths associated with Kerala. We will see more
of this as we proceed with our mystical Keralatour packages through the culture and rituals followed in this God’s OwnCountry.
Experiencing the colourful Festivals of Kerala
Kerala,
though a small state, has a rich culture and a long list of events and
celebrations throughout the year. When one part of the state completes
celebrating its share of festivals, the other part starts it and it is a closed
chain! Temple festivals, Church festivals, Muslim festivals, state festivals
like Onam, educational fests, sports fest, cultural events like literary
awards, musical performances and the list goes on! Round the year, you will
find some part of Kerala prepped up for an event of some sort! Let us glance
through some of the popular festivals of Kerala that comes in each month! Please
note that Kerala’s festivals are celebrated based on Malayalam calendar and
hence the exact date and month on which it is celebrated each year may change.
Festivals in January
It
all starts with the New Year celebrations, then comes Swathi Sangeetholsavam
which is a celebration of Music in the memory of Swathi Thirunal, Feast of St.
Sebastain, Gajamela, Arthungal Perunnal and Thaippoyam. Gajamela is another
rare event conducted here to celebrate the elephants we use here in temple and
church processions. This will be an exciting event to watch out if you are
visiting Kerala, by using Kerala packages including special cultural fests.
Festivals in February
February
brings along with it exam preparations. In February the famous Chettikulangara
Bharani is celebrated in Allepy which transforms the town into a colourful
extravaganza. One of the main attractions of this temple festival is the
Kettukazhcha or the colourful effigies in big and small sizes. The bigger ones
represent the horse and the smaller ones represent a chariot. These are
offerings by the nearby villages which makes it an event representing cultural
harmony. Anayottam or the elephant race in Guruvayur marks the beginning of
Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple’s festivals. The winning elephant will be the honoured one
to carry the auspicious idol of the temple during the processions. Aattukal
Pongala is another big celebration in Trivandrum where the devotees offer
Pongala to the Aattukal Devi on this auspicious day. Those in Trivandrum on Kerala
tour packages from Mumbai during this festival will find it surprising to see
most of the roads cleaned and blocked in Trivandrum to let the ladies make and
offer Pongala to the powerful Devi. At the same time, in Kasargode, they
celebrate Kuttikol Thamburatti Theyyam where you can see some major Theyyam
performances that turn a man into God!
Festivals in March
March
welcomes the summer heat as well as the exam heat! Students will keep
themselves busy writing board exams and annual school exams all through the
month of March. This is clearly off-season time for tour packages in Kerala whether from Delhi or any other states. But the celebrations continue with
Poorams at Uthralikkavu which is considered the biggest pooram of Kerala with 22
elephants. This year Easter seems to be in a hurry and falls in March itself
instead of being the usual April festival.
Festivals in April
April
usually brings with it summer holidays for children along with Easter, Vishu
and Ram Navami. Apart from these, this year Trissur Pooram also falls in April
soon after Vishu. This year April seems to be the best time to plan your exciting Kerala holiday packages to enjoy Vishu,Ram Navami and Trissur Pooram during your holidays. You can also enjoy some
events for the children and Mango fest and Jackfruit fest during this time.
Festivals in May
This
month again is a haven for the tourism industry. Most of the schools across the
country will have holidays and hence they expect quite a good crowd especially
in the beaches, backwaters and hill stations. This is the time the hill
stations are typically flocked by honeymoon couples on Kerala tour packages. Honeymoon time by taking Kerala honeymoon packages focusing on the Kerala culture will be a nice experience for you. One major celebration you
can find this month is the Kottiyoor Festival which is a big celebration
lasting 28 days in Kannur district. Neyyattam and Thirukalasattu are 2 unique
rituals performed here during this festival.
Festivals in June, July & August
June
and July are the lean periods for festivals other than boat races as Kerala
gets drenched in monsoon rains. This is the right time for honeymoon couples to
enjoy romantic holiday packages in Kerala. The Champakkulam boat race will be
the only event you can witness in Kerala during these months in 2016. Usually,
by the end of August, the monsoons start receding and the preparations for Onam
starts in the business houses. This year Onam arrives by mid-September only and
hence, August too will be an off-season except for the monsoon Kerala tours.
Festivals in September
September
brings with it a new colourful season. The state looks greener and more
colourful after the monsoon rains. Preparations for the 10-day celebration of
Onam begin in September. The month starts with Manarcaud Perunnal which lasts 8
days. Onam celebration starts with Athachamayam in Tripunithura on 4th
of Sept. Thiruvonam are the big festival day for all Malayalees and it comes
towards mid of September. You can visit Trissur to witness the Tiger Dance or
Puli Kali on the 2nd day after Thiruvonam if you plan your Kerala
trip accordingly. This is the time for more boat races in Kerala. If you make a
glance to the honeymoon packages in Kerala provided by reputed tour companies, then you will see the festivals
in top most position, because one who visits Kerala during that time will keep
in their heart forever.
Festivals in October
Navrathri
is the biggest festival in October. The Saraswathi temples and the Devi temples
get busy with amateurs and professionals performing music and dance on these 9
days. Young children are made to start their studies on Vijayadasami day as it
is considered an auspicious day to start all types of education including art
and music. Many people tour Kerala during this time on as it is off season and
the climate is also fairly pleasant. This year Diwali, which is not so
celebrated in Kerala, is on 30th of October.
Festivals in November
November
brings with it a few honeymoon couples on romantic Kerala packages to the hill
stations and backwaters. After the monsoons, this is another month of rains in
Kerala which these honeymoon couples enjoy a lot. The 2 major festivals in
Kerala in November are the Kalpathi Ratholsavam and Vettukadu Church Feast.
Festivals in December
Most
of the people from the USA plan their Kerala travel during the Christmas
holidays as they are in celebration mode this entire month. Christmas is the
only major festival in December and the holidays that mark the beginning of the
New Year. The climate remains pleasant although only the hill stations can be
called cool.
If
you make a houseboat cruise on your honeymoon days by using the honeymoon packages, then you will be able to
see many art forms lively.Other than these festivals, Kerala has a rich culture
of performing arts and artists. Dance forms like Kathakali and Mohiniyattom are
many centuries old. Kathakali is a very complicated dance form and unlike the
other dance forms that require swift movements of the body. Here the performer
conveys the message through facial expressions and hand mudras or symbols. It
takes many years of rigorous practice to learn this dance form. Other dance
forms of like Thullal, Krishnanattom, Koodiyattom, Thiruvathirakali, Kolkkali,
Kakkarishi, Oppanna, Natakom and Chavittunatakom are also popular in Kerala. Musically
we excel in Nadanpattu, Panchavadyam & Chendamelam though Carnatic music is
also very popular here. Mural paintings and Kalarippayattu are some other
ancient art and performance forms which are still practised in Kerala.
