One of the major attractions of the Malayali culture is their traditional clothing. The women wear Sarees (long pieces of cloth that is wrapped around the women into a beautiful long dress). The traditional Kerala sarees is a little off white, or white and have a golden hem, these sarees are known as mundum neryathum. The traditional clothing for men is a mundu; it is similar to dhoti, and lungi. The men wear their mundu around their waist and it reaches their feet. The mundu is worn in occasions usually have a golden hem of kasavu (just like the saree) and are also either white or off white. Kasavu is the golden hem of the clothing. The traditional clothing for young girls is called pattu pavada (pattu is silk and pavada is skirt). The pattu pavada come in different designs including the design the mundum neryathum come in. The pattu pavada is a skirt and a blouse that are usually made of silk.
Beaches: Kerala has a long coastline of 580 km which look out into the Arabian Sea. The coastline is outlined with sandy beaches.
Kovalam beach near Thiruvananthapuram was one of the first beaches in Kerala that attracted tourism. Kovalam beach is at present the most famous and visited beach in Kerala.
Here are some other famous beaches in Kerala:Kappad, Alappuzha, Nattika (Thrissur), Vadanappilly beach (Thrissur), Cherai Beach,Beypore beach, Marari beach, Fort KochiVarkala and Muzhappilangad Beach in Kannur (the only beach that you can drive on in Kerala).
Backwaters: the backwaters in Kerala are series of lagoons and lake that are on the opposite side of the Arabian Sea (also known as Malabar Coast). House boat or kettuvallam rides are very common in the backwaters, and it is the main tourist attraction in those areas. Backwater tourism is mostly found in Alappuzha, Kollam and Kumarakom. Boat races that happen during festival seasons are also a main tourist attraction.
Hill stations: Eastern Kerala consists of high mountains and deep valleys. Some areas are forests while others have mostly fields of tea and coffee plantations. The most popular and common hill stations are:Munnar,Vagamon, Paithalmala, Wayanad,Nelliyampathi,Elapeedika,Peermade,Ponmudi
Wildlife: the wildlife in Kerala is also major attraction. There are a number of wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala. Silent Valley National Park in Palakkad is a shelter to the largest population of lion-tailed Macaque. They are among the world's rarest animals and they are also under threat.
Kerala is known as a land of festivals, it has a number of varieties of festivals throughout a year. The state has many holidays due to having so many festivals. Onam: Onam is the biggest festival that is celebrated in Kerala. Onam gives out 4 days of holidays starting from Onam eve (uthradom) till the last/ 4th day of Onam. Onam is a very secular festival meaning that it is a festival that is celebrated by all religions, communities and casts. All the religions celebrate Onam with no difference. The Onam festival occurs during the Malayalam month Chingam which is from August- September. Onam celebrates the visit of the mythical king Mahabali who Malayalees consider as their king. Onam is also a harvest festival.
This is a pookalam, it is a pattern made on the floor with flowers during Onam
The celebration and preparation for Onam last for ten days and express the culture and tradition of Kerala. During Onam there will be patterns outside each person's house that is made of flowers which is known as Pookalam (flower carpets), there will be a special feast known as Onasadya which consist of rice, several curries and a sweet pudding named Payasam. A snake boat race named Valamkali, and dance named Kaikottikali performed by married women are all part of the celebrations in Onam. Even though the myth behind Onam is from the Hindu religion it is still celebrated very equally. In Onam there is a belief the friends and relatives have to buy each other new cloths know as Onakodi. There is a lot of rush in during Onam shopping and thus the Onam purchasing is called the Uthradom Pachil (Uthradom rush).
Vishu: if your first step is wrong, the whole journey will be wrong. The Indian cultures supposedly take the beginning of things as the most importantly. In Kerala, the start of the zodiac new year is celebrated as Vishu. It is believed that the first thing that someone sees when they open their eyes on a Vishu day is an indication of what they can expect to come in the rest of the year. Due to this reason an effort is made to make sure that one opens their eyes to first see the Vishukkani, the Vishukkani is the sight of several fruits and vegetables, a bunch of yellow flowers, clothes, money and the statue of lord Krishna and lord Vishnu, all arranged neatly for the people to come and see as their first thing in the morning. Even though the festival is called Vishu in Kerala, all across India the festival is celebrated with different names, in Andhra Pradesh it is celebrated as Ugadhi as well as in Karnataka, celebrated as Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra, celebrated as Bihu in Assam and Baisakhi in Punjab.
During Vishu the elder ones give the younger ones Vishukkaineettam which is money. During Vishu the Malayalees also eat Sadhya which is the same feast they have during Onam.
Diwali: Deepawali (also known as Diwali) is among the brightest and most colorful Hindu festivals. Diwali is known as the festival of lights, (deepa-lights and avali- a row, meaning a row of lights). Diwali is celebrated for four days each a celebration of life its enjoyments and goodness.
Even the smallest rituals of Diwali have reason to be done. Lighting houses and illuminating the skies with firecrackers expresses thankfulness to the heavens for giving health, wealth, knowledge, peace and prosperity. Another belief is that the sound of the firecrackers will help humans make the Gods aware that the earthlings are happy. During Diwali people draw patterns on the floor using colored powder (the patterns are usual made in front of the houses).
Christmas: Kerala is among one of the few states in India where Christianity is accepted. Due to this reason Christmas is celebrated secularly. No matter what the different religious beliefs are, most of the people decorate their houses by hanging at least a star. Christmas and Onam are the two main festivals where shop owners can make profit.
For the Christian in Kerala Christmas is an occasion for a family get together. The celebrations and preparations of Christmas start on 24th December in the evening and ends on 25th midnight. Christmas day is the occasion for heavy lunch with alcohol and different types of non-vegetarian foods. The latest trend in Kerala is to visit shopping malls and have a meal at a restaurant. Another thing that the Malayalees do is visit churches to see the lighting, decorations prepared for the occasion.
Eid: Muslims in Kerala will celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, which will mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan in which people spend long days of fasting, prayers and charity.