Fairs & Festivals of India 2011

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CHURCH FESTIVALS

ARTHUNKAL FEAST

St. Andrew's Forance Church at Arthunkal, one of the sacred churches in Kerala, attracts lakhs of devotees both Christians and non-Christians every year from all parts of the State. The feast of St. Sebastian is celebrated on a grand scale for eleven days in a year. Owing to the unmanageable crowding of pilgrims and the resultant confusion on January 20 the final day of the feast, the church authorities have instituted another minor feast on the 8th day after the principal feast. This is known as Ettamperunnal. Of late this feast also has attained as much importance as the principal feast.

BHARANAMGANAM FEAST

Bharanamganam, a small village town in Meenachal Taluk of Kottayam District, has been famous for long as one of the hallowed places in Kerala. It is about 14 miles from the Ettumanoor railway station. Bharabangaban has always been a refuge of the afflicted and the miserable as well as of the faithful. It is here that the famous St. Mary's Forance Church, one of the oldest churches in Kerala dedicated to the Holy Mother, stands, attracting thousands of pilgrims from all over the country. The important annual festivals of this church are the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, celebrated on the 9th of November, and the Feast of St. Sebastian on the 20th of January.

EDAPPALLY PERUNAL

Every year 'Forty hour devotion' marks the commencement of the festival. The festival begins on the 23rd of April with solemn High Mass and Litany. On the 25th flag is hoisted solemnly and ceremoniously.

EDATHUA FESTIVAL

The St. George's church at Edathua stands on the bank of the river Pampa, sixteen miles southeast Alappuzha. This church is famous for the feast of St. George celebrated every year in the month of Medam (April-May). It takes place from 27th April till 7th of May. Though the festival lasts for 11 days, only last couple of days carry all the aspects of a major festival. Hence calendars reckon the 6th of May as the feast day.

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Church Festivals

KADAMATTOM FEAST

Mainly two feasts are celebrated in this church, one on the 24th and 25th of Makaram (January-February) and the other on 23rd of Medam (April-May). The former is the most important.

KALLOOPPARA PERUNAL

St.Mary's Church at Kallooppara stands in close proximity to the Kallooppara Bhagavathy temple. Inside the church, on its eastern and western wings, there are two granite slabs with some inscriptions in the Pali language. The Palli perunal and the foundation day of the Church are the two celebrations held on January 15 and July 5 respectively.

KORATTY FEAST

About 7 km south of Chalakudy, there is an ancient and beautiful village called Koratty. There is an old catholic church there built in honour of St. Mary which is locally known as "Koratty Muthy's Church". The most important festival in this church is the 'Koratty Muthy's festival celebrated during the second week of October every year.

MALAYATTUR FEAST

St. Thomas shrine at Malayattur a village about six miles to the north of Kaladi Ernakulam District is believed to be one of the ancient catholic shrines in the northern part of the state. The chief festival at the shrine is second Sunday, since the first moon, after the Vernal Equinox (March 21). The Feast, therefore, falls generally in the month of April or at times in the last week of March. The Octave is celebrated on the following Sunday. The pilgrims have to climb a hill nearly 2000 feet high and on top of it is the church.

MANJINIKKARA CHURCH FESTIVAL

The church and Dayara at Manjinikkara derives its importance from the holy tomb there. The sacred body of the late lgnatius Elise III, the holy patriarch of Antioch and all the East was interned there. Members of the Jacobite Syrian Church believe that the Holy Father was a Saint. The Church has now become one of the foremost places of pilgrimage.

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MARAMON CONVENTION

Maramon and Kozhencherry , on the banks of the river Pampa, 16 kilometers east of Tiruvalla, have for centuries been recognised as centres of Christian culture and influence. Maramon is also famous as the birth place of Palakkunnathu Abraham Maplah, leader of the reformation in the Syrian Church of Malabar in the 19th century. This village which developed into a town has the added distinction of being the venue of a religious gathering known as Maramon convention, said to be the largest Christian gathering in Asia.

It is during the month of February on the vast sand-bed of the river Pampa below the Kozhenchery bridge that the Maramon Convention is held every year.

The Maramon Convention displays co-operation and union between different sections of Church in Kerala. It fosters ecumenical outlook. It is also a source of spiritual inspiration and enlightenment for thousands.

NIRANAM FESTIVAL

Of all the places hallowed in the annals of Christianity in India, Niranam holds pride of place. In social, cultural, literary and political matters, this small village has kept up its own distinctive, pristine traditions. The fame of Niranam must have reached Syria and weighed most with St. Thomas. He is believed to have visited Niranam in 53AD, erected a crucifix founded and built a church on the site.The main religious festival is in honour of the Holy Mother on August 15. Special mass is held on that day. The birthday of St. Mary is celebrated on a grand scale on 8th September. The feast of St. Thomas is celebrated on 3rd July.

RAKKULI THIRUNAL, Pala

Rakkuli Thirunal is the terminology of Common parlance to denote the feast of Epiphany celebrated every year on the 6th January in the St. Thomas Cathedral Church at Pala. It has been the occasion of a vast fair where articles of every necessity are exhibited for sale.

ST.DOMINIC SYRIAN CHURCH FEAST, Aluva

The feast of St . Dominic church at Aluva falls on the third Sunday after the Easter. The statue of the Saint is taken out in procession on that day. The feast of "Our Lady of the Holy Rosary" also consists of a spectacular procession on the Sunday after 8th of December.

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Church Festivals of Kerala

FEAST AT ST. JOSEPH'S SHRINE, Meppadi, Waynad

The annual feast at the shrine of St. Joseph is celebrated on the last Sunday of January.

THUMBOLY FEAST

The parish of Thumboly is renowned for its beautifully constructed church, called after St. Thomas and also dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Alappuzha district. The feast of our lady which lasts for 11 days ending on December 8th.

VETTUKAD FESTIVAL

The most important feast celebrated in this church situated on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram is of Christ, the King. This feast is observed for eleven days ending with the last Sunday of October. On the tenth day, after the vespers in the church, there is a procession which goes round the parish lasting for about 1 ½ hours. On the final day there will be a solemn high mass, sermon, eucharistic procession and benediction. The attendance for this feast is well over 50,000.

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Hindu Festivals Of Kerala

ARATTU at THIRUVANANTHAPURAM (Sree Padmanabha Temple)

Aratt festival is the closing ceremony of the ten day festival in the Lord Padmanabha temple at Thiruvananthapuram. There are two such festivals every year. One takes place in the Malayalam month of Thulam (October-November) and the other in Meenam (March-April). The Arattu is a ceremonial procession of the Lord at the close of the ten-day-festival. The previous night, there is a procession called pallivetta inside the fort encircling the temple.

On the day of the Arattu, His Highness the Ex-Maharaja enters the corridor of the temple, and after some rituals, the procession takes out through the eastern gate with the accompaniment of nagaswaram, drum etc. His Highness with sword in hand and escorted by armed guards, infantry, mounted police, officers etc. leads the procession to the Sanghumugham beach. A caparisoned elephant goes in front with drum on its back, that is beaten to indicate that the God is coming in procession. Six more caparisoned elephants follow. The procession leaves the temple gate at about 5 PM and takes about an hour to reach the seashore. As the procession leaves the ramparts of the fort, a salute of 21 guns is made. On reaching the beach the ceremonial bath is taken in the sea.

AMBALAPUZHA ARATTU

The Sree Krishnaswamy temple at Ambalapuzha dedicated to Parthasarathy was established by the Chembakasserry Pooradam Thirunal-Devanarayanan Thampuran in the year 790 M.E. He offered his state to Sree Krishna and ruled the country as his regent after assuming the name of Deva Narayana. The Arattu festival of this temple commences with the flag hoisting ceremony on the Atham day in Meenam (March-April). The important Arattu Utsavam, however, takes place on the Thiruvonam day in Meenam. 'Velakali' is an important feature of this festival. The famous Ambalapuzha Palpayasam (a milk pudding of exceptional sweetness) is the important offering of this temple.

Event Date :March 21, 2009

ARANMULA UTHRITTATHI

For ages, Keralites have cherished a reverential attitude to rivers. When the weather becomes delightfully pleasant and the nature exults in her full glory, it is the apt time for Keralites to hold the Jalotsavam (water - carnivals). Boat race is in a way a display of physical might of the people who forget their differences in partaking in this sport. In that respect, the boat race is symbolic of the Jalotsavams in Kerala. The most famous is the Aranmula Snake Boat Race conducted on the Uthrittathi day of Chingom (August-September). On Thiruvonam day in Chingom when the national festival of Onam begins in Kerala, Aranmula, a village in Chengannur taluk, is unusually cheerful and gay.

The famous snake boat carnival on the Pampa held annually at Aranmula on the day of Uthrittathi asterism in connection with the Onam festival is to commemorate the crossing of the river by Lord Krishna on that day. The deity is supposed to be in all the boats that take part in the carnival and all of them are expected to arrive at their destination simultaneously. There is thus no element of competition in the Aranmula Boat Race as in other regattas held in this district and elsewhere. The race is not conducted to win any trophy or prize. The crew regard the occasion as one for rejoicing and merry-making and cheerfully row up and down the river to the tune of songs. Even though the festival is of Hindu origin and is associated with the Parthasarathy Temple, it is an all-community affair and participants include members of all classes and communities living in and around Aranmula. The festival is now being organised under the auspices of the Palli Oda Seva Sangham, a popular organisation of the boat owners. It constitutes a national festival for the people of Central Travancore and special boats and buses ply to carry the people to witness the event. During the races, the banks of the river on either side, for a distance of about three kilometers, would be thronged with millions. In recent years, the festival attracts spectators from all parts of the country and even from abroad. The Valla sadya is an important vazhipadu (offering) in the temple on this occasion.

The snake boats at the Aranmula regatta present an enchanting as well as imposing spectacle. They are of extraordinary shape. About 100 ft. long, the end of the boat is curving upwards with the front portion tapering gradually. The rear portion would be towering to a height of about 20 feet. The boats resemble snakes with their hoods raised. A 150 - crew including oarsmen, singers and ruddermen man each boat which is gaily decorated for the occasion. The occupants carry banners and ornamental umbrellas of silk and gold. It is doubtful whether there is any other national festival resplendent with such an aura of spiritual devotion, endearing friendship, sportsman spirit, majesty and rapturous delight as the Aranmula boat race. Similar Snake-boat races are organised at Champakkulam and Paippadu in Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala, during the Onam days.

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ASHTAMI at VAIKOM

The Mahadeva Temple at Vaikom is one of the most famous and oldest Siva temples in Kerala. The utsavam in this temple is celebrated for twelve days during the dark lunar fortnight of Vrischikam, (November-December) the Ashtami falling on the last day. During the night on the Ashtami day the deities of the neighbouring temples will be ceremoniously brought in procession to this temple.

ATTUKAL PONKALA

There is an ancient Bhagavathy temple (Mudipura) at Attukal in the Kaladi ward of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. The most important festival in this temple, generally known as Attukal Ponkala commences on Bharani day in Kumbhom (February-March) and continues for nine days. The festival begins with Thottampattu (a song about Bhagavathi) which goes on during all the nine days. On the ninth day, several thousands of women assemble in the temple compound with ponkala pots and the required quantities of rice and other ingredients for ponkala.

Event Date :10 March, 2009

KUTHIYOTTAM AND KETTUKAZHCHA ( Chettikulangara Temple)

Chettikulangara temple near Kayamkulam is one of the famous Devi Temples in Kerala. The Bharani Utsavam celebrated in Kumbham (February-March) in this temple is quite an event to the local people as well as to those residing in the neighbouring villages.

Event Date : 2 March, 2009

CHITTUR KONGANPADA

Konganpada is a grand festival of historical significance celebrated in the Bhagavathy temple at Chittur, 10 km from Palakkad town. A unique festival it is held every year on the first Monday after the dark lunar night in Kumbham (February -March) to commemorate the victory of Nairs of Chittur over the militia of Konganadu (Coimbatore) led by the Chola King Rajadhi Raja.

ETTUMANOOR FESTIVAL

Ettumanoor is located 12 km north-east of Kottayam town. The ancient Siva temple here has brought glory and fame to the place. Myths have it that the Pandavas and the sage Vyasa had worshipped at this temple. The name of the place had its origin from the word 'manoor', which means the home of deer. The 'arattu' festival of this temple is celebrated on a grand scale on the Thiruvathira day in Kumbham (February-March) every year. Large number of people flock to this temple on the 8th and 10th day of the festival when seven and half elephants made of gold (nearly 13 Kg) will be held in public view. The temple, the wealthiest Devaswom in Kerala, has many valuable possessions.

Event Date : 4 & 6 March 2009

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GURUVAYOOR FESTIVALS

One of the famous temples in India, Guruvayoor is in Chavakkad taluk, draws a vast concourse of pilgrims from every part of the country. Devotees are thronging to this temple not to see and appreciate the variety of its structural patterns or to revel in the festivals celebrated there, but only to feel the air of benediction that pervades this famous shrine of Guruvayoorappan and to invoke his blessings.

The important religious festivals celebrated in this temple are:

1. Ashtami Rohini in Chingom (August - September)
2. Sukla Paksha Ekadasi in Vrischikom (November-December)
3. Kuchela Day in Dhanu (December-January) the day on which Kuchela visited Sree Krishna with beaten rice.
4. Dhwaja Prathishta day (Erection of flag staff in the temple) on Makayiram Asterism in Makaram (January- February).
5. Vishukkani in Medam (April)
6. The ten days Utsavam commencing from Pooyam Asterism in Kumbhom (February-March).

Event Dates : 7 March 2009, Elephant race at 3 pm, 16 March 2009 - Aarattu, Vishu - 14 April 2009.

HARIPAD TEMPLE FESTIVAL

Sree Subrahmonia Swamy temple, at Haripad, is one of the oldest and most important temples devoted to Lord Subrahmonia. It is situated at the 53rd kilometre on the Kollam-Alapuzha highway. Annually three festivals are celebrated in this temple, of which the Chithira festival is the most important. It takes place in Medom (April-May). The procession with the golden peacock throne is quite attractive.

KANATHURKAVU UTSAVAM

Kanathurkavu is an ancient Hindu temple in the heart of Kannur consecrated to the Goddess Mahadevi and later to Sree Rama also. During the annual festival in April, thousands of people go there to witness Theyyattom, dance ritual of the Mahadevi and other Gods.

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Adoor Gajamela

Nine majestically caparisoned elephants take part in this spectacular procession which starts from the Parthasarathy Temple and culminates at Chennapatti temple, 3 km from Adoor. Ottanthullal other traditional art forms are also staged on the tenth day. The shrine of Partasarathy is dedicated to Lord Sree Krishna, known here in the name of Parthasarathy. Partha's is the other name for Arjun a charcter in the epic Mahabharata and Saraythy means charioteer. Lord Krishna drove Arjun's chariot during the Battle of Kurukshetra. The temple also celebrates Ashtamirohini the birthday anniversary of Sree Krishna. Parichamuttukali - a folk art resembling the martial steps, Mayooranritham - Peacock dance, Ammandudam, Velakali - dance symbolic of ancient warfare, etc are performed at the temple during the Ashtamirohini festival.

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Arattupuzha Pooram

Aarattupuzha Pooram, is the festival that sees the largest elephant stage entry in which about 70 majestically caparisoned elephants participate. Aarattupuzha is about 14 km from Thrissur town and the famous Ayyappa temple at Aarattupuzha is just 14 km from Thrissur, and it is at this temple that the annual pooram festival is celebrated.

The final pooram is conducted with sixty one caparisoned elephants decked up with bright colored umbrellas and parasols in the traditional manner, presenting an unparalleled spectacle. The temple ensemble and the traditional music lend a majestic tenor to the extravaganza. According to popular belief, the patron deities of the neighboring villages ride majestically caparisoned tuskers to arrive in a procession at the Arattupuzha village on the day of this festival.

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Attukal Pongala

The Pongala Mahotsavam is held in Attukal Bhagavathy Temple and is considered to be a sacred ritual. A ten day festival it starts according to the Malayalam month of Makaram-Kumbham and closes with the sacrificial offering of Kuruthitharpanam. Observed by lakhs of women, this Attukal temple turns into the 'Sabrimala for women' on these days of the Attukal Pongala. The Attukal Pongala is observed strictly by the womenfolk. Amidst much fun and fervor the women cook the rice porridge with jaggery and coconut and offer it to the Goddess.

The Attukal Bhagavathy Temple was built years ago by the local family. This family was believed to have had a vision of the Goddess in the dream and it was according to her wish that they built this temple. It is also believed that the deity of the temple was an avatar of the Kannaki. According to legends the local women, have made the Pongala in to propitiate Kannaki.

During the Pongala festival, women dress in their best clothes and offer their prayers at the Attukal Bhagavathy Temple. The religious songs even continue for 9 days of the festivals along with the other celebrations. The Devi's sword is carried by the chief priest and he blesses the ladies by sprinkling holy water and showering flowers. The blessed Pongala is then distributed amongst the devotees.