The mush famous festivals of Kerala are like jewels in its crown that stand out for their beauty and uniqueness. Celebrated all year round, the people of Fascinating Kerala come together on every occasion to enjoy the spirit of their state with fun, frolic and entertainment gaining paramount importance. This festivity keeps the spirits and mood of the people high and vibrant with each season boosting of a different festival. In addition to Holi, Diwali, Christmas, there are a huge number of festivals celebrated in the Fascinating Kerala.

The most famous and awaited event of Fascinating Kerala is the Onam festival. Falling in the month of September, the harvest season of Kerala, this festival is celebrated as the national festival of Kerala and is a perfect time for family get-together and fun. Onam is celebrated as the homecoming of Mahabali, the virtuous king of Kerala who was pushed down by Lord Vishnu in the form of Vamana. During this 10-day festival, houses are decorated with flowers and women huddle and dance together, celebrating happiness.

The Elephant march in the month of January is called the Thrissur Pooram and is a spectacular sight to watch. Aranmula Uthrittathi is another famous snake boat carnival on the Pampa River that is celebrated to commemorate the crossing of the river by Lord Krishna during this time of the year. An idol of the lord is supposed to be present in every boat, which are all expected to arrive at their destination on the same time. Ernakulam, Kottayam, Makaravillakku, and Thiruvathira are other famous Festivals of the Fascinating Kerala, South India.

In a place that boosts of hosting 44 rivers, numerous lakes and lagoons, Fascinating Water Sports are almost inevitable. The adventurous water sports offered by the Fascinating Kerala are Canoeing, Catamaran Sailing, Kayaking, Para Sailing, Scuba Diving, Snorkeling and Wind Surfing.

The tourists who thong the Beach Resorts in large numbers every ear cannot stay away from the excitement and thrill of these Fascinating Kerala Water Sports. Different Beach Resorts offer a large variety of Sports depending upon the conditions of that particular Beach, as each Beach is different from the other because of their dive conditions and marine life.

The famous ‘Snake Boat Race’ and ‘Nehru Trophy Boat Race’ are the awaited water events of the year in Fascinating Kerala Water Sports, South India. Apart from all this, tourists also endeavor a sandcastle on the swampy sands of the golden beaches besides indulging in an exciting beach volleyball or basketball game.

Musics in Kerala

In Kerala, classical music exists within every person you will come across. People are fond of folk music in Kerala. Infact, for every occasion there is a set of corresponding songs. The traditional music of Kerala is very melodious and an absolute delight to the ears. There are various genres of music that range from entertainment songs to film songs to the more traditional ones like carnatic music and devotional songs.

The entertainment songs are usually sung during festivals among gatherings like Onam. These songs are basically sung to keep the atmosphere peppy and alive. Film songs are sung during functions and family gatherings like marriages and birth ceremonies to add zing to the whole affair. Even lullabies are sung in a traditional way and found their way into poetry. There are certain songs that are sung during manual work like harvesting, farming etc. to alleviate the burden and weariness of working continuously.

Another form of Kerala music is the "sopana". Sopana means flight of stairs that lead to the worship place. The devotees used to sit on these stairs and sing devotional songs in the praise of the Lord. That is how this form of music derived its name. Yet another form of music that is famous in not just Kerala, but entire south of India is the Carnatic music. In Kerala, carnatic music flourished under the influence of the then king Swati Tirunal. Carnatic music has a plethora of ragas and talams that are combined together to form music for the soul.

ARTs & Culture in Kerala

Kerala also known as the 'God in God's Own Country' boast of physical and natural attributes that attract a lot of tourists every year from India as well as abroad. Besides the physical beauty, Kerala has a rich cultural heritage, which fascinates the tourists a lot. The art and culture of Kerala portrays various dance forms and martial arts performed with the accompaniment of vocal and instrumental music. All these art forms are performed during some celebration or festivity.

Bharata Natyam is the oldest form of classical dance in India. Origin of this style of dance can be traced to the Natya Sastra written around 4000 BC by sage Bharatha. Known as the 'Poetry in Motion', this dance form was originally known as 'dasi attam,' a temple dance performed by young women called 'devadasis.' Bharata Natyam is most commonly performed by women rarely by men. Strict guidelines are laid down describing every single aspect of the dance form including the attributes required to be an accomplished dancer.

Chakyarkoothu, also called koothu, is one of the oldest classical theatre arts of Kerala. It is a solo dance is usually performed in the koothambalam of temples to the accompaniment of the mizhavu and elathalam. The performance starts with the invocation of the presiding deity of the temple. The narration of the story, generally picked from the Epics, is portrayed with the thandava dance movements, gestures and facial expression according to the guidelines given in the Natya Sastra. Koothu is marked for the presence of comic element, which adds to its dramatic character. The costume worn during the performance is colorful and unconventional with an unusual headgear.

Kathakakli is the classical dance drama of Kerala based on the guidelines laid in the Natya Sastra. This elaborate art form is usually begins in the evenings and continues till dawn. It is an inherent part of all temple and cultural festivals in Kerala. The costumes and makeup are ornamental, colorful and elaborate so that the gestures and expressions of the performer are easily seen and understood. The performers do not speak or sing but enact the story through hand gestures, graceful body movements and facial expressions especially of the eyes. The themes of this dance form are from rich and vibrant mythology of Indian culture. Music is an essential feature of Kathakali and two vocalists are there who sing to the beats of a chengila (gong), elathalam (small cymbals), chenda and maddalam.

Mohiniyattam is a classical solo dance style, which is a blend of the grace and elegance of Bharata Natyam with the strength and force of Kathakali to build a mood of sringara or romance. The dance is usually performed on specially made stages during the temple festivals. The costume for the dance is the traditional white mundu and melmundu of Kerala and with the hairs gathered up at one side of the head and adorned with jasmine flowers in the traditional style.

Kalampattu or Kalamezhuthu Pattu is a folk art form that is practiced in the northern parts of Kerala. More than 600 years old art form, it is performed by a group of five to fifteen people in the Bhadrakali and Ayyappa temples. The ritual is performed around the Kolam, which is an elaborate picture usually of Bhadrakali drawn on the floor with the use five colors. The dance is performed in the light of temple torches continue all through the night. A series of songs or kalampattu are sung to the accompaniment of nanthuni and elathalams.

Kaliyoottu is an eight daylong folk ritual, which depicts the combat between goddess Durga and the demon Darika. The ritual is performed at various stages and the climax of the play is called Paranettu. This ritual is performed on a specially constructed 100 feet high stage on the eighth day.

Kavadiyattam is a ritualistic dance form performed by a group of devotees wearing bright yellow or saffron costumes with ash smeared all over the body. The dance depicts Kavads carrying kavadis on their shoulders. The beats of instruments like udukku and chenda and the nadaswaram are integral part of the kavadi procession. It is usually performed in the Subramanya temples.

Kalaripayattu is the complete system of martial arts of Kerala. It is considered as one of the oldest and most scientific martial arts in the world. The training of Kalaripayattu aims at the perfect co-ordination of body and mind and the traditional training in a Kalari include specialization in the indigenous medical practices too. Kalaris are also centers of religious worship.

Velkali is one of the most detailed and dramatic martial folk arts of Kerala and is usually performed within the temple premises. It is called thirumumbil vela when performed before the deity and kulathilvela when performed near the temple pond. Fifty or more performers dressed in the traditional attire of soldiers, bearing colorful shields and swords or long canes, dance in war like rhythm in perfect beat of the thakil, suddha maddalam, elathalam, kuzhal and trumpets. A few fighting techniques of Kalaripayattu are also presented in the course of the performance.