| Festivals
Tour of Kerala |
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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. |
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| Onam
Festival Tour |
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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. |
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| Nehru
Trophy Boat Race |
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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 |
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| Attukal
Pongala |
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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. |
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| Thrissur
Pooram |
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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. |
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| Kettukazhcha |
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The Kettukazhcha is performed as an offering by
the devotees to the deity. Artisans of the various villages in the
vicinity vie with each other for the most intricately decorated effigies.
The biggest structure can be as big as 70- 80 feet tall. Scholars
believe that the tradition of Kettukazhcha has its roots in Buddhism
which was prevalent in the Kerala during the 3rd century. |
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