Kerala is a small state in India that is renowned for its natural, beauty , historic monuments, traditional art, alluring events and festivals. Kerala is one of the colorful places in India, and is famous for its festivals that are full of culture and tradition. You can see various ethnic groups in Kerala that celebrate a variety of festivals. When it comes to Kerala festivals, one can find the cultural durability that provides an opportunity to the local people to show their unique talent. The state follows a traditional lifestyle faithfully, by establishing a solid identity of the state towards festivals. The festivals include – dance performances along with vibrant music, creative and sensational fireworks, elephant rides, etc. that totally change the atmosphere. One can see different kind of festivals celebrated throughout the year that shows the enthusiasm of the people. No festival in Kerala is complete without the art events and luxurious feast. 

Kerala is a state of festivals. Lots of festivals are celebrated here with great pomp and glory. Due to the diversity of cultures in Kerala, numbers of festivals are celebrated here throughout the year. Kerala also enjoys a number of holidays owing to these festivals which are a preserver of the state's art and culture. None of the festivals in Kerala are complete without a sumptuous feast and an art event. Some of the festivals celebrated in Kerala are -

Major Festivals of Kerala

Onam

Onam is the most popular, biggest and the state festival of Kerala which is celebrated for almost 10 days during the months of August and September. The celebrations of this festival can be compared to the Diwali festival which is celebrated in Northern India. It is also called the harvest festival as it is celebrated during the harvest season. Cultural programs consisting of music, dance and boat races are an integral part of the Onam festival.

As per the mythological beliefs, the king of Malayalis (Lord Mahabali) returns to Kerala during this festival to see if his people are living a good life. Special Pooja is performed at the Thrikakkara temple in Kochi City (ancient capital of Lord Mahabali) and a colorful parade is carried out here at the start of Onam. Despite of being a Hindu festival, it is celebrated with great zest and joy by people of all the communities living in Kerala.

Onam is also a shopping festival and a lot of companies and shops come up with huge discounts. There is a heavy rush on the shops on the eve of Onam. During Onam, people feast on delicious vegetarian food and sweets served on traditional banana leaf.

Vishu

Vishu is a New Year festival according to the Malayalam Calendar. Since the festival marks the beginning of the New Year, it is believed that seeing same auspicious thing first thing in the morning will make the New Year prosperous for you. That is the reason, the night before the Vishu festival, a collection of some auspicious articles called the Vishukkani is kept in the Pooja room. Vishukkani consists of raw rice, beetle leaves, yellow flowers, an image of Lord Vishnu and gold coins. People wake up at dawn and with their eyes closed, they walk up to the Pooja room to see the Vishukanni first thing in the morning. Another important custom of this festival is giving money (called Vishukkaineetam) to children and needy

The food consumed on Vishu consists of Veppampoorasam which is a preparation of neem and Mampazhappulissery, a sour mango soup

Other Festivals

Christmas

Christmas is also one of the biggest festivals celebrated in Kerala. Parades are carried out from some of the major churches in Kerala. Special masses and Christmas feasts are common in churches during the Christmas celebrations. A lot of the hotel also arranges for special Christmas buffets.

Thrissur Pooram

This is the most famous temple festival celebrated in Kerala in the city of Thrissur during April-May. More than 3 Lac people participate in the festival. During this festival, parades of around 50 heavily decorated elephants along with 200 musicians are carried out from two temples. Heavy temple decors and fireworks during the celebrations are great to watch. The fireworks last for more than 5 hours.