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| Kerala Festivals | Kerala Ritual Arts | Kerala Performing Arts | Kerala Martial Arts | Kerala Cuisines |
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The earliest record of the festival is found during the reign of Kulasekhara Perumals around AD 800.
Onam has two specific significances. First it is the memory of community at large and celebration of past history as enunciated in the Mahabali legend – a story of how paradise was lost. Second it is the celebration of the harvest, tied with the memory of the golden age of prosperity. It is believed that during those days the whole of Chingam was celebrated as Onam season. After the rain-drenched month of Karkidakam, with its privations, Chingam is a welcome month for people in the state of Kerala. The festival is the harbinger of spring — signalling the start of the harvest season. Onam epitomises the newfound vigour and enthusiasm of the season, and is celebrated with traditional fervour with visits to temples, family get-togethers, gifting of clothes called Onakkodi and lots of merrymaking. Thiruvathira kali is another dance form performed at the time of onam. Onam is celebrated with flower,and sadhya(Kerala food). The flowers are decorated on the floor to welcome Mahabili |
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Thrissur Pooram, called 'the pooram of all poorams' meaning the biggest of all poorams is celebrated ever year, on the pooram day, in the month of Medam (mid-april to mid-may) month as per the malayalam calendar.Thrissur town plays host, for 36 hours from the wee hours of the pooram day, to one of the most largest collection of people and elephants. The richly decorated elephant, as seen during the Thrissur pooram, is now globally recognized. On the pooram day, fifty (50) or more elephants will pass through the very center of Thrissur town, or the Vadakkunnathan temple. The main features of the pooram festival are these decorated elephants with their nettipattam (decorative headdress), beautiful crafted koda (parasol or umberalla), the kolam, decorative bells and ornaments etc. Add to this the panchavadyam, the rhythmic beating of the drum, and what would be a cacophony otherwise is turned into an organized but spontaneous symphony. The fireworks display in the early hours of the next day, will rival shows held anywhere in the world, without even using many of the modern and newer pyrotechnics |
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Chettikulangara temple, in Alappuzha district is dedicated to Goddess Bhadrakali. The main festival of the temple Kumbha Bharani falls in the Bharani asterism of the Malayalam month of Kumbham (February/March). Special rituals, Kuthiyottam performances and Kettukazhcha processions mark the day.
The Kettukazhcha varavu held in the afternoon is a colourful event. Brightly decorated structures known as Kettukazhcha, made of wood, cloth and colour paper are brought to the temple in procession from thirteen nearby places. Of the decorated structures, the tall and less wide ones are assumed to be that of Kuthira (horse) and the short and wider ones as theru (chariots). On the day of the Kuthiyottam performance these boys wear a colourful attire, with their bodies wound with silver wire, one end tied around the neck. Later they are taken to the temple in procession accompanied by temple orchestra and brightly coloured tinselled parasols. By the time they arrive before the deity the young boys are in a possessed stage and dance in a frenzy |
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The Pongala Mahotsavam is the most important festival of Attukal Bhagavathy Temple. The offering of Pongala is a special temple practice prevalent in the southern part of Kerala and some parts of Tamilnadu. It is a ten-day programme commencing on the Karthika star of the Malayalam month of Makaram-Kumbham (February-March) and closing with the sacrificial offering known as Kuruthitharpanam at night. On the ninth day of the festival the world famous Attukal Pongala Mahotsavam takes place. The entire area of about 5 kilometre radius around temple with premises of houses of people of all caste, creed and religion, open fields, roads, commercial institutions, premises of Government offices etc. emerges as a consecrated ground for observing Pongala rituals for lakhs of women devotees assembling from different parts of Kerala and outside. The ceremony is exclusively confined to women folk and the enormous crowd, which gathers in Thiruvananthapuram on this auspicious day is reminiscent of the Kumbhamela Festival of North India |
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