the bounties of nature. And that's not all ! The festival exhibits an eternal harmony of spirit. Packed with fun and excitement, festivals are occasions to clean and decorate houses, to get together with friends and relatives and to exchange gifts. New attire, dance, music and ritual, all add to their joyful rhythm. It is a time for prayer, for pageantry and processions.....a time to rejoice. The important fairs and festivals in the state are:

ONAM - THE NATIONAL FESTIVAL OF KERALA

Kerala's most important festival is celebrated in the honour of the ancient Asura King Mahabali. His period is believed the golden age in the history of the country.When Maveli ruled, all were equal, they were leading a life of happiness and nobody had any quarrels between the people. There was neither dishonesty nor deception, nor was there any instance of false utterance, use of counterfeit measures of other kings of unfair practice. Perfect harmony, communal and otherwise, prevailed. In short it was a glorious period. The occasion also heralds the harvest season. The decorating of houses with carpets of flowers, a sumptuous lunch and songs in praise of the Golden reign of Mahabali, mark the ten day long festivities. A major attraction of the Onam celebration are the famous snake boat races along the backwaters at Champakulam, Aramula and Kottayam.

Bus this golden age came of a tragic close when Mahabali was expelled from his kingdom by Vamana, the dwarf incarnation of God Vishnu. Thus by the designs of the jealous Gods, the glorious reign of the Asura emperor came to an end. But his grateful subjects, request that their former ruler might be permitted to visit the land once a year, was granted. The time for his annual visit was in the first Malayalam month Chingom (August-September) and this occasion become one of the important festivals throughout the land, reminiscent of the prosperous times of Mahabali. Whatever be the truth behind this legend, Onam has for last several centuries been a grand national harvest festival in which all sections of the people celebrate with extreme jubilant.

The festival is supposed to begin from the lunar asterism Atham which falls ten days before the asterism Thiruvonam. The preparations for the celebration begin on the Atham day. The Thiruvonam is the most important day of the festival. In the front yard of the house Athapoovu (floral decoration) is made for ten days from Atham to Thiruvonam. The idol of Thrikkakkara Appan made of clay is placed in the middle of the floral decoration, a clear example of the aesthetic sense of the Malayalees who do it with a sense of devotion.

ARANMULA UTHRITTATHI

For ages, Keralites have cherished a reverential attitude to rivers. 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 of this sport.

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 a t their destination simultaneously. The crew regards 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 organized under the auspices of the Palli Oda Seva Sangam, a popular organization 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 world. The Valla Sadya is an important vazhipadu (offering) in the temple on this occasion.

THIRUVATHIRA

The Thiruvathira festival falls on the asterism Thiruvathira in the Malayalam month of Dhanu (December-January). The origin of the festival is shrouded in obscurity. The people celebrate this festival upon age-old tradition and they do it with great joy and respect for the past. The Ardra Darshan celebrated in Tamil Nadu corresponds to Thiruvathira of Kerala. It is considered to be highly auspicious to worship Shiva and the devotees go to the temple before sunrise for Darshan. Apart from the worship in the Shiva temple, there is very little celebration in the houses. Tradition has it that Thiruvathira festival is celebrated in commemoration of the death of Kamadeva, the mythological God of Love. According to another version, Thiruvathira is the birthday of Lord Shiva.

THRISSUR POORAM

The most colourful temple festival of Kerala. Thrissur Pooram, attracts large masses of devotees and spectators from all parts of the State and outsiders..

Celebrated in Medom (April-May) it consists of procession of richly caparisoned elephants from various neighbouring temples to the Vadakunnatha temple, Thrissur. The most impressive processions are those from the Krishna temple at Thiruvambadi and the Devi temple at Paramekkavu, both situated in the town itself. This festival was introduced by Sakthan Thampuran, the Maharaja of erstwhile Kochi state. The Pooram festival is also well-known for the dazzling display of fireworks. It is celebrated by two rival groups representing the two divisions of Thrissur Paramekkavu and Thiruvambadi with each other in making the display of fireworks grander and more colourful. The commissioning of elephants and parasols is done in the utmost secrecy by each party to excel the other. Commencing in the early hours of the morning, the celebrations last till the break of dawn, the next day.