FESTIVALS
|
Temple and Church festivals
- Exotic night life, at its cultural best !!
The social and cultural fabric of kerala is very
intricately woven around its temples, churches
and mosques. Almost all towns and villages in
Kerala are centered around a temple, church or
mosque beginning with the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram,
famous for its Sree Padmanabha (Lord Vishnu)
temple. Hence your visit to Kerala is
incomplete without seeing a temple or attending
a Sunday mass at the local church. If you are
visiting Kerala between December to March, these
temples and churches offer you the best in night
life you could never have imagined. The festivals
in temples and churches are often night long affairs
(often lasting a week) with various art performances,
elephant marches, shopping, eat outs and socializing.
The entire village is often lit up with spectacular
fire works on display and people adorn their best
outfits to enjoy their time. These festivals are
celebrated in a much spirited and unique way compared
to cultural festivals like Onam. We suggest that
you get in touch with us for a brief a video show
of few such festivals and let us know whether
you can let yourself miss this exotic, little
known bit about Kerala's night life. |
|
| Cultural festivals - Gifts, social visits
and feasts; a time you look forward to!
|
Onam: Onam
is a traditional festival of Kerala and falls
in the month of August or September according
to the moon calendar. The entire state is in festive
mood with street decorations and of course heavy
shopping and social visits, that you may say that
Onam to Kerala is what Christmas is to West. Be
here to enjoy the magic of the festive season
and you can be part of several other traditional
functions that fall around onam (like the famous
snake boat race in the backwaters of alleppey
) which happens on second saturday in the month
of August every year and also enjoy the special
elaborate meal served on banana leaf.
Vishu : The next most popular
festival of the state, Vishu, which falls on
14 April, is the traditional New Year for the
state. It is a time to exchange gifts, mostly
clothes, visit friends and relatives and enjoy
an elaborate traditional meal served on the
banana leaf. Most temples in Kerala hold special
functions on this day.
|
| |
| ART &CULTURE -Spectacle of color,
costume and drama |
Kerala _ "Gods
own Country" takes pride in its
distinct culture and arts that has developed through
centuries. More importantly, despite the onslaught
of globalization, the state and its people makes
efforts to preserve and nurture the various art
forms and rituals associated with its ancient
culture. Spectacular visual effects and stunning
music are hallmarks of Kerala's performing arts.
To understand and appreciate this land and its
people, we suggest that you try to savour bits
of the varied art forms and participate in few
of the festivals that may occur during your visit.
Kerala's performing arts are
a grand spectacle of colors and costumes. Kathakali,
the pride of Kerala, is an art form where music,
dance and drama are incredibly synchronized. Mohiniyattom,
Ottanthullal, Koodiyattam, Chakiarkoothu, Pathakam
and Chavittunatakam, though lesser known to the
outside world are also important art forms of
Kerala. |
| |
| KATHAKALI : |
Kathakali, the classical dance form of Kerala,
was originated in Kerala 400 years ago. A complete
art, Kathakali constitute 3 fine arts - acting,
dancing and singing, and is a pantomime in which
the performing artiste does not sing or speak;
the singer plays a key role in the staging of
the art form.
Kathakali is usually presented
at dusk in the premises of temples, sometimes
continuously for ten days, each night featuring
an act of the play and lasting till day break.
The music is characteristically slow, strictly
adhering to rhythm giving full scope for the
performer to present his acting skills. The
actors paint their faces vividly and use different
costumes depending on the kind of characters
they portray.
You may enjoy a short performance
at the various performing centers across the
state as well as at the hotel or resort you
are staying. Get in touch with us to include
one in your itinerary. Often a brief introduction
to the performance is provided in English to
help visiting tourists to appreciate it better.
On request, you can also be privy to the elaborate
make-up procedure of the performing artist involving
intricate painting and decoration that are symbolic
of specific traits of the character he or she
would be presenting.
|
| |
| MOHINIYATTOM : |
Mohiniyattam is a dance form
said to have originated in Kerala. Originated
as a temple dance, it portrays feminine love in
its myriad forms - carnal, devotional and maternal.
|
| |
THIRUVATHIRA KALI : 
Thiruvathirakali is a dance
typical to Kerala performed by women for everlasting
marital bliss.It is observed as an occasion to
celebrate womanhood. Only girls and women perform
this. They stand in a circle dressed in traditional
style and the dance follows a circular pattern
accompanied by clapping and singing. |
