Kerala Culture and Festivals


To the South West extreme of India, lies a land, rich in every aspect imaginable; lush green, fertile land crisscrossed by seething rivers; beaches- stunningly beautiful where the waves seem to well up and kiss the golden sands; backwaters and marshlands where the flora seems to have tamed the Ocean itself; and above all a race of people, who seem to have mastered the essence of civilization.

Rich in culture, cuisine and, capabilities, excelling in education, sports and unique martial arts, yes, this is the blessed land of Kerala indeed. Maps of India brings you complete information on the people, culture and Festival of Kerala-
  • People of Kerala: An amazing race of people, following a unique lifestyle-the perfect blend of traditional, time-honored practices and progressive, innovative trends.

  • Kerala Food: A delectable cuisine, unique to the region which involves the locally available ingredients such as coconuts, seafood, rice etc.

  • Performing Arts: An interesting combination of dance, music, theater and mythology. Apart from the famous folk dances viz. Kathakali, Koothu and Mohiniyattom, a tradition of ritual arts are such as Theyyam, Kummattikkali and Mudiyettu has also been kept alive

  • Kerala Music: Like the rest of South India, Kerala's classical music is essentially Carnatic, raag - taal based music. It is also famed for Sopanam. Music is an integral part of the every day life. There are the traditional folk songs for occasions such as marriages and childbirth and also the devotional songs such as Ayyappanpattu and Maripattu. A number of musical instruments including wind and string instruments, percussions are played and practiced in Kerala.

  • Kerala Painting: Other than the unique art of body painting for specific dance forms such as Kathakali, Kerala has a rich style of oil paintings. While the state identifies with the rest of India in its use of henna to paint parts of the body such as hands and feet, Kerala has also its singular art forms of floor drawings and paintings (Kalamezhuthu).

  • Kerala Handicrafts: Among the variety of handicrafts produced in Kerala, the more renowned are sandalwood items, woodcraft, handlooms and metal work (especially brass and copper).

  • Kerala Martial Arts and Sports: Sports and Martial Arts take prime importance in the life of a Malayali. Not only are sport competitions (such as rowing competitions) part of the Festival customs, there is, in Kerala, a tradition of martial arts training. Many of these are holistic physical development systems and are tauht in combination with ayurveda, accupressure, herbalism etc.

  • Malayalam Literature: Though the origins of are generally traced to Tamil, due to its affinity to the classical language, Malayalam has evolved and is a vast ocean as it stands today. The prose, poetry and plays are appreciated by critics worldwide.

  • Malayalam Calendar (Kollavarsham): The Malayalis use a calendar called the Kollavarsham in which the year starts from Onam in mid September.

  • Festivals of Kerala: Kerala is the land of high festivities and cheer. A number of Festival like Onam, Vishu and Thiruvathirai are celebrated. They are usually marked by family get together, cheer and festivity.

  • Kerala Matrimony: Marriage in Kerala is usually arranged by one's family. Inter caste marriage is the common practice with marriage rituals specific to each community.

  • Kerala Movies: Malayalam movies started in 1928, when the 1st silent movie was released in Kerala. Since then Malayalam movies have come a long way and the cinema industry is now a flourishing business with Malayali movies competing on an international level.

  • Kerala News: In keeping with the rest of the world, Kerala has a number of newspapers in both Malayali and English. With the advent of technology a number of websites have come up which report global news in both languages.

  • Kerala Newspapers:Newspapers are the larges source of news in any part of the country. The people of Kerala too subscribe to some of newspaper or other. Now these papers may be regional i.e. printed in Kerala itself or some of the leading national dailies. Kerala newspapers are either English newspapers or Malayalam Newspapers.

  • Population - 31, 948, 619 (2001 census)
  • Density - 819/kmsq
  • District - 14
  • Language - Malayalam
  • C.M.- V.S.Achuthanandan
  • Governor - Sheila Dikshit



Last Updated on : March 5, 2014