Festivals are the true attraction of Kerala, the land known as God’s own country. These are occasions when splendor prevails over the simplicity of the lifestyle of Kerala. The celebrations other than being an occasion for merry-making have a great role in preserving the tradition, art, and culture of the land. The festivals whether social or religious, modern or traditional are never complete without a traditional art which includes the art forms that dates back to 2000 years from the traditional Kudiyattam to the contemporary art forms and shows of the modern age. Kerala being a land with a number of festivals and seasonal celebrations is a prominent destination for seasonal tourism.

It’s mostly during these festive seasons the travel rates to the land doubles overnight. This rapid rise in travel rates and tour packages directly affect the ratio at which the tourist visits the land. Most foreign travellers visit Kerala to enjoy an explore the seasonal and festive wonders of Kerala promoting the trend of festive tourism, the tourism department of Kerala with a number of travel partners like Dream Kerala organises a number of Kerala tour packages with price affordable by the travellers. The main aim in revising the package rates during festive seasons is to attract the foreign travellers to the land and thereby help in the development of the country. Kerala being a land with festivals and celebrations in almost every month of the year would always have a number of travellers visiting the state throughout the year. Some of the seasonal wonders that attract foreign tourist to a greater extent include:

Thrissur Pooram:

The Pooram is one of the most famous temple festivals celebrated in Kerala in Thrissur during the months of April and May. A number of more than 3 lack people take part in the festival every year. The main element of the festival that fascinates the overseas travellers are the set up of a paradise with a number of 50 decorated elephants and 200 musicians playing the playing the traditional instrument of Kerala chenda. Heavenly decorated temples and fireworks that last for a minimum of 5 hours add up to the beauty of the festival.

The Pooram is not just the festival of the city of Thrissur but the festival of the state which is celebrated with great unity among the people within the state. The Pooram is a religious treasure of Kerala which no other state possesses. To have a taste of this unique temple festival a number of tourist visit Kerala mostly who belong to Delhi and other northern parts of the country. The Thrissur Pooram is one of the main festivals of the land which bring back the unity of the people in the city.

Vishu:

The festival is celebrated as a New Year festival according to the Malayalam calendar. As it is believed that the festival marks the beginning of a new year seeing an auspicious sight first in the morning will make the year ahead prosperous and positive. This belief is the reason why special arrangements are done in most Hindu houses the night before the festival. The arrangements done are called the preparations for vishukani which is mostly kept in the pooja room. The arrangement of vishukani consists of things like beetle leaves, raw rice, gold coins, yellow flowers and a photo of Lord Vishnu. Believers wake up early morning to see the Kani which would be kept ready at the pooja room. Another most important and followed custom of the festival is giving money to kids and the poor. One of the main attractions of the festival which draws the attention of the overseas tourist is the food prepared during the day.

The festival along with its preparations fascinates the over-sea tourist as all these traditions are very new and unique for them. Taking great advantage of this seasonal splash a number of travel operators offer and organizes several Kerala holiday packages under budget rates aiming the oversee tourist with a keen interest in the seasonal colours and flavours of Kerala. Making use of this reduction in rates of the season a number of travellers visit the land from different nook and corners of the world.

Navarathiri:

Another important festival of the land Navarathiri attracts a number of travellers to the land during the month of Sept-Oct. the festival is mostly celebrated in the capital city Trivandrum at Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. The festival related to the adoration of Goddess Saraswathi mostly known as the goddess of knowledge among the natives is one of the major festivals in Kerala. In the capital city, the festival marks its start with a police parade to the well-known Sree Padmanabhapuram Palace following the ritual of bringing the royal idol of the goddess.

The festival is lighted with the police parade, police battalions, guards of the royal palace and the members of the royal family who brings the idols to the capital city and places it in the Ramanar Palace located close to Sree Padmanabha temple for nine nights. These nine nights when the idols stay in the palace are celebrated with a number of different programs mainly the classical music fest which attracts a number of travellers to the land. Goddess Durga is believed to be the family goddess of the Travancore royal family due to which the festival is celebrated by the royal family of the Travancore kingdom.

Onam:

A harvesting festival which is celebrated in the state for almost 10 days during the month of August and September is one of the most popular and biggest festivals of the state.  The celebrations of this harvesting festival can be the best compared to that with the once celebrated in the northern parts of India. Flower carpeting, dances, and songs all part of the celebration which resembles those celebrated in the northern parts of Delhi. The snake boat race through the backwaters of Kerala is one thing that attracts the tourist from Delhi which draws them to Kerala during the harvest festival. To facilitate an easy visit for the travellers from the capital state of the country an attractive and Cheap Delhi to Kerala tour packages are organized.

The snake boat race and the traditional dance forms held during the festival fascinated the travellers from the capital state and other domestic travellers as these are the traditional treasures that one could find only in Kerala.  The festival is mostly known as the harvesting festival among the Keralites as it is celebrated during the harvesting season of the land. Due to the increasing demand for tourist visiting the land the travel rates to Kerala would increase rapidly during this period.

Even with the rise in tour packages during the season, a number of foreign travellers visit the land to enjoy and explore the cultural fest which includes boat race, dance, music, flower carpets and more which are an integral part of this traditional festival of the state. Onam is not just a harvesting festival of the land but also a shopping festival where a huge number of shops and companies offer great seasonal discounts on a number of different products.