Ochira Kali - Kollam

This festival is one of those events in which you will feel the rustic spirit of Kerala in all its vibrancy. Ochira Kali is held as part of the festival of Ochira Parabrahma temple, Kollam, and commemorates the battle between the kings of Kayamkulam and Ambalappuzha, two erstwhile kingdoms of Kerala. Thousands of people come to see this rural event. Men, both young and old, dressed in colourful attire, step into the waterlogged paddy fields and engage in a dance like mock fight. This is a display of their physical skills as well, with hundereds of onlookers cheering from the sides of the field. Ochira Parabrahma temple is also unique for its having no visible deity. The whole worship here is centered around the concept of Parabrahma or Universal Consciousness. The Ochira Kali will be held on 15 and 16 of June 2008

Edathua Annual Feast - Alappuzha

St. George Church, Edathua (24 km from Alappuzha, on the Alappuzha - Thiruvalla Road), established in 1810, the church is dedicated to St. George. It is believed that prayers and offerings at this church help to heal all mental disorders and other ailments. During the annual feast (5th, 6th and 7th of May) pilgrims from all parts of South India, irrespective of caste and creed, visit the church and seek the blessings of the saint.

You may have seen the magnificent churches of Europe and the West, so what is special about this grand old one, set on the banks of the River Pamba in God’s Own Country? The experience will of course be different. The best time to visit here is in April, on the eve of the annual feast of St. George on May 7th. On this day, the image of the saint, decked in gold is carried out in procession to be placed on the dais at the centre of the basilica. Processions and cultural performances are held everyday including dazzling firework displays in the initial as well as during the concluding days. Another highlight of the festival is the swarming of vendors and stalls in the premises of the church, selling all kinds of things from food items to utensils. Devotees from all parts of the state attend the feast which lasts for one month.

Nearest railway station: Thiruvalla, about 15km away.Nearest airport: Cochin International Airport, about 85 km away.

Stable Authority for Grand Kerala Shopping Festival

Home and Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said that, Government is planning to constitute a stable authority to conduct Grand Kerala Shopping Festival. He was speaking in Thiruvananthapuram while inaugurating the Malayalam web site of Dubai Shopping Festival. He added that Kerala Government was holding discussions with the Dubai Government for setting up new projects in potential areas like tourism.“Preliminary studies have proved the possibilities of ‘health tourism’ in association with Dubai. Since many in Dubai are now depending other countries for special medical care, Kerala can offer better medical facilities at affordable rate’’, he said.The Grand Keral Shopping Festival, which began this year, has brought an additional revenue of Rs 90 crore to Government

Ashtakam - Octave - 2008

The third edition of ‘Octave’ will be held in Thiruvananthapuram which showcases the rich tapestry of art, craft, music, food and costumes of the eight north-eastern States — Assam, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur and Sikkim — in other parts of the country.
The first edition of this major cultural festival, initiated by the North-Eastern Zone Cultural Centre, was held in New Delhi in 2006 and the second one was in Hyderabad.
The festival is aimed at bridging the gap prevailing in the rest of the country in awareness about the rich cultural heritage and expressions of the north-eastern States. The Union Ministries of Culture and Tourism are the principal organisers of the festival while the South Zone Cultural Centre, the State Cultural Department, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademy, Kerala Sahithya Akademy and the Kerala Lalithakala Akademy have teamed up to arrange the programme locally.
An organising committee with Education and Cultural Affairs Minister M.A. Baby as chairman and Sangeetha Nataka Akademy chairman Bharat Murali as convener has already started the preparatory work for the festival to be held in Thiruvananthapuram from February 16 to 23. The events of the festival will be held at the Nisagandhi open air theatre and at the Suryakanthi auditorium, Thiruvananthapuram.
A host of events including seminars, workshops, film screenings, and performances related to art, dance, music-drama and choreography from the north-eastern States will he held as part of the festival. About 600 artistes from those States will take part in the programmes. A festival of native food items will also form part of the programmes.
A panting camp in Ernakulam and a literary camp in Thrissur have also been arranged as part of the festival.

Nishagandhi Dance Festival - inaugurated

The seven-day Nishagnadhi Festival organised by the Department of Tourism was inaugurated by the Governor of Kerala Sri. R L Bhatia on sunday the 20th January 2008. He hoped that the event would ‘add a new feather to the crown of the State.’ “The State is renowned all over the world as a tourism destination. The evergreen forests, backwaters and blue lagoons have turned this State into a fairyland,” he said. “The tenor and tempo of Kathakali has world-wide acclaim,” Mr. Bhatia said.
On speaking the occassion actor Mammootty has said that the State Tourism Department should conduct a competition in traditional art and craft forms, on the lines of the schools arts festival, to enable youngsters to exhibit their talent and creativity. “Most of the foreign tourists who visit the State are keen on buying souvenirs that reflect the cultural traditions of the State. Our endeavour should be in preserving the existing art forms,” he said.
The actor also exhorted the officials of the department to hold the festival in other districts as well. “We have people who appreciate music and art forms in other districts as well,” Mr. Mammooty said.
Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, who presided over the function, said the objective of the seven-day event was to encourage the traditional music and art forms of the country.
The inaugural ceremony was also attended by Education Minister M.A. Baby, Law Minister M. Vijayakumar, Panniyan Raveendran, MP; Mayor C. Jayan Babu, V. Sivankutty, MLA; District Panchayat president Anavoor Nagappan, and Kerala Tourism Development Corporation chairman Cherian Philip.

Lakshadeepam

On the Makar Sankranti day, Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Trivandrum, Kerala, will celebrate the unique festival of Lakshadeepam – lighting of one lakh deepams or one hundred thousand lights. Laksha-deepam is being held on January 14, 2008 after a period of six years.
Lakshadeepam marks the culmination of ‘murajapam.’ Murajapam is nearly two month long chanting of mantras for the welfare people and the land. The tradition of murajapam and lakshadeepam was started in 1750 AD by the then Travancore King primarily to mitigate the sins occurred during wars and annexations. Murajapam and Lakshadeepam are held once in six years.
This year the Lakshadeepam day marks the end of ‘murajapam’ which began on November 20, 2007. There is also a 19-day ‘kalabham’ ritual before the lighting on one hundred thousand diyas. Murasiveli procession, accompanied by the members of Tranvancore royal family, will be held on the same day. All these rituals are primarily intended for the welfare of the people and prosperity of the region.
Entry during Lakshadeepam to the temple is through passes and if newspaper reports are to be believed all the passes have been distributed.
Please note that Makar Sankranti is being observed on January 14th in Kerala. But in several other states in India, it is being observed on January 15.