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Cochin Carnival is a carnival held every year in the last week of December at Fort Kochi in the city of Kochi, Kerala. This carnival is held mostly during the last two weeks of December and finally ends on 1 January. It is officially inaugurated with hoisting the Carnival flag at the Vasco da Gama Square.
The origin is traced to Portuguese New Year celebrations during the colonial days. The main highlight of the carnival is the massive procession on the New Year's Day, led by elephants in ornamental trappings. North Indian dances are a part of the procession. It is a combination of different cultures like Portuguese, Gujarati, Punjabi, Malayalee, Kannada, Arab, Dutch, and Anglo Indian culture.
Many competitions like beach bike race, beach football, wrestling, boxing, cycle race, bullet race, kayaking, swimming and marathon races are held. Art shows, food festivals, colourful rallies and fairs add to the festive spirit of the carnival. The main principles promoted during the festival are Participation, Peace, Progress, Adventure and Environment. The city is decorated with white paper buntings, especially the Kochi Fort. The white colour is dominant in all decorations which symbolizes peace and tranquillity.
Kochi Fort is the center of all the activities that take place at the time of the Cochin Carnival. It is promoted by the district tourism promotion council.
Besides all these eye catching programmes, Pappanji makes the event all the more splendid and spellbinding. This statue of the old man is burnt at zero hour on the 31st of December. A grand party with music and dance follows this and continues till dawn.
A procession enriched with caparisoned elephants, folk performances, vibrant costumes, music and percussions taken out on New Year’s Day is a fantastic kick off to the New Year.
Cochin Carnival is a cultural reflection of the hybrid past of Fort Kochi. It has its origins rooted deep in the Portuguese and British rule. The Portuguese New Year celebrations during the colonial era gradually paved the way for the Cochin Carnival. Based on the themes ‘Participation’, ‘Development’, ‘Peace’, ‘Adventure’ and ‘Environment’, the Carnival was conceived in the International Year of the Youth.
A visual extravaganza awaited both by the tourists and locals alike, Cochin Carnival of Kerala remains in the hearts of everyone who experiences it long after the event.
Kerala, the “God’s Own Country” is a land of colours! Be it the nature’s ‘green’ shade romancing the ’emerald’ backwaters, the ‘golden’ rays of the sun caressing the clear ‘white’ sands, or the ‘azure’ sky calling for the mystical ‘hues’, Kerala showcases all the colours of Mother Nature! Well, if you want to explore all these shades and colours of the nature, you must your Kerala trip during any of the fairs and festivals in Kerala! It is during the fairs and festivals; the entire of the state unites together, removes all the religious and communal barriers, to celebrate every moment with full vigour and enthusiasm. No matter what background they are from, the way these locals celebrate the fairs and festivals in Kerala, it simply creates an everlasting memory in the minds of everyone!
