Festivals in Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of the southern state of Kerala, is also the culture capital of the region of erstwhile Travancore. The rulers of Travancore, also known as Thirunals, not only patronized the development of fine arts but they themselves were consummate artists and performers. Swathi Thirunal, a composer in the Karnatic style of music and Raja Ravi Varma, an accomplished painter are notable rulers who have contributed immensely to the art scene of Thiruvananthapuram.

The people of Thiruvananthapuram are friendly and respect all the religions. The place is truly secular place and all the communities have been thriving in the region. The Palyam Junction is a palpable proof of the profoundly secular Thiruvananthapuram with a Hindu temple, a Muslim Mosque and a Church within tens of yards of each other.

Fairs and Festivals

The people are very religious and festivals like Onam and Navaratri are celebrated with untold religious fervor. Onam is the State Festival of Kerala. The other notable festivals are Vishu and Maha Shivratri. The Vishu is the Kerala New Year festival and celebrated in April.

Onam is the food festival of Kerala. The villagers gather together in a big community kitchen and prepare hundreds of dishes for a few days. Then on the day of Onam the food is served to the whole of the village on plantain leaves. The community luncheons are a part and parcel of the life of Indians. The Sikhs in the North Indian have Langars where all sit down to have their meals in Gurudwaras and here in the deep South, the Onam.

The Navaratri festival is a music festival with concerts in the Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple, in the heart of the city. The huge precincts of the temple houses thousands of devotees and even processions within the temple are organized. The old construction and design of temple precincts reverberate with the rhythm of the drums. It is believed that the natural frequency of the pillars in the temple enhance various tones of instruments. The musical extravaganza is truly a divine and spiritual experience.

Languages in Thiruvananthapuram

The capital city is a multilingual city and almost all the South Indian languages are spoken in the region. However Malayalam, the official language of Kerala is the primary language of communication and official work of the Government. The second language is Tamil, which is spoken mostly in the border regions with the state of Tamil Nadu. The almost hundred percent literate population of the city of Thiruvananthapuram understand a number of foreign languages too. English is widely spoken and understood but with the typical Malayali accent; you need to get a bit used to the accent to understand it.

The Thiruvananthapuram Cuisine

Rice and curry is the staple diet of the people in this region. The upper castes consisting of Namboodari Brahmins and some Nairs are strict vegetarians; however the younger generation is taking to eating meats and fish. The lower castes are regular fish eaters. The Kerala cuisine is rich with aromatic herbs and spices. The food is cooked in coconut oil and generally raw coconut is added to the curries for the special Kerala flavor.