Diversity is the watchword for traditional festivals in Kerala, and April is the month of festivities when religious fervor blends with carnival exuberance in the state. The list of religious and cultural spectacles of April is exhaustive. It includes Pidikkaparambu aanayottam, Kumaranallur Meenapoora Maholsavam, Arattupuzha Pooram, Sabarimala Arattu, Padayani, Malayatoor pilgrimage and spiritual journeys during the holy week, among others. As the school vacation is on, an eventful trip with children through the varied and spectacular festivals of Kerala could be chalked out to beat the April blues. Let’s take a lowdown on the upcoming festivals of April. 

Pidikkaparambu Aanayottam – April 8 
The famous elephant run of Pidikkaparambu falls on April 8. The exhilarating jumbo run is conducted as part of the pooram festival of the Pidikkaparambu Shiva temple at Vallachira village in Thrissur district. The temple is located in Vallachira village, Thrissur district, Kerala. To reach the temple, take a local train from Thrissur Railway Station to Pudukkad Station. Then, take an auto-rickshaw or taxi from there to the temple. 

Arattupuzha Pooram – April 9 
This is the annual festival of Sri Sastha Temple at Arattupuzha in Thrissur district. The Arattupuzha pooram, which boasts of many elephants, has earned the sobriquet ‘mother of all poorams’. It's around 12 km from Thrissur Town.

Kumaranallur Meenapoora Mahotsavam – April 9 
The grand festival, which falls on April 9, is held at the much-revered Kumaranallur Devi Temple in Kottayam district. It's about 4 km from Kottayam Railway Station. 

Lokanarkavu Pooramahotsavam – April 10 
The 8-day Lokanarkavu Pooramahotsavam is a much-awaited festival held in the Malayalam month of Meenam. Thousands of devotees flock to the Lokanarkavu Bhavathy Temple in Memunda, 5km away from Vadakara in Kozhikode district, during the festival. The temple is just abut 5 km from Vadakara town and is easily accessible by own vehicles and public transportation.

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Painkuni Uthram – April 11 
The auspicious Painkuni Uthram is celebrated under the aegis of the Chalai Brahmin community at Valiyasala in Thiruvananthapuram district. The festival is on the birthday of Dharmasastha, which falls on Uthram star in the Malayalam month of Meenam. It is celebrated in various temples across the state. 

Sabarimala Arattu – April 11  
The Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala opened on April 1 for the annual festival and Meda Vishu poojas. The temple will remain open for 18 days, and preparations are underway to receive thousands of pilgrims during the festival. The Vishukani darshan will be from 4 am to 7 am on April 14. The festival started with the customary flag hoisting by Thanthris Kandararu Rajeevaru and Kandararu Brahmadathan on April 2.

Ulsavabali and Sriboothabali will be held daily till April 10, and the Vilakezhunelppu will be conducted from April 6. Pallivetta is on the night of April 10 at Saramkuthi. The renowned arattu, which signals the culmination of the festival, is at Pampa on April 11. The arattu procession, which starts from Sannidhanam at 9 am, will reach Pampa after touching Saramkuthi, Marakoottam, Sabari peetam, Appachimedu and Neelimala. The idol is taken to the ‘arattu kadavu’ (bathing ghat) for the arattu ceremony and later taken to the Pampa Ganapathy temple for darshan and ‘para’ (offerings) by the devotees till 3 pm. 

Surfers’ Festival – April 10, 11, 12 and 13 
Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram district will host an international surfing competition from April 10 to 13. The event will also feature workshops and surfing lessons. The fest, conducted by the Kerala Tourism Department, puts Varkala on the global surfing map. 

Kadamanitta Padayani – April 14 
Kadamanitta Padayani, which is considered one of the world’s grandiose ritual art forms, is dedicated to Goddess Badrakali. The annual festival of Kadammanitta Bhagavathy Temple starts on the first day of the Malayalam month of Medam (April 14) and ends on the 10th day, Pathamudayam. The festival begins with the Chootu Vaipu ritual in which a holy lamp is lit inside the temple, followed by rhythmic sounds of traditional percussion instruments such as thappu and chenda.

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The main attraction of the event is the procession of a myriad of padayani kolams (masks). The procession starts off with a Ganapathy kolam and includes Marutha, Kalan, Kuthira, Madan, Pakshi, Yakshi and Bhairavi, among others. The padayani performance is punctuated by comic intervals that give a satirical twist to the ritual. The Valiya Padayani on the seventh day of the festival is very popular. The temple is just about 8 km from Pathanamthitta town. 

Kollam Pooram – April 15 
The Kollam pooram is held as part of the annual festival of the Asramam Sri Krishnaswamy Temple. The main associates of the celebrations are the Puthiyakavu Bhagavathy temple near the railway station and the Kottarakulam Mahaganapathy temple near Mini Civil Station. The Kollam pooram was started in 1992 to bring the spirit and revelry of the poorams, which were well-received in central and north Kerala, to the people of south Kerala. The pooram kick-starts after caparisoned elephants carrying the ‘thidambu’ of various gods and goddesses of 13 temples in Kollam district, accompanied by celebratory sounds of the percussion instruments, reach the Asramam Sri Krishnaswamy Temple.  The temple is near the ESI Super Speciality Hospital in Asramam.​

Malayattoor Pilgrimage – April 27 
Devotees undertake the pilgrimage to the hill shrine dedicated to St. Thomas in Malayattoor in Ernakulam district during the Lenten season.  Pilgrims from across the globe trek the Kurisumudi hill by chanting ‘Malayattoor Muthappa, Ponmala Kayatam’, and many devotees prefer to visit the church the Sunday after Easter, known as ‘Puthu Nyayar’. The state-run KSRTC and private buses run special services to Malayattoor during the pilgrimage season. 

Holy Week – April 17, 18, 19 and 20 
Thamarassery Churam 
The Thamarassery Churam, which connects Kozhikode with Wayanad, is a famous destination among holy week pilgrims, involving a 16 km Way of the Cross walk. Presently, more than 50,000 people participate in the Good Friday procession, which has been held continuously for the past 33 years. Children and elderly people from various parts of the state participate in the Way of the Cross procession. The Way of the Cross procession was first held in Thamarassery Churam on Good Friday, April 17, 1992, under the able guidance of Fr. Thomas Thundathil and Fr. Thomas Kootiyani of the Mount Sinai Retreat Center in Lakkidi.

During that time, the churam was riddled with accidents and anti-social activities. While praying, Fr. Thomas Thunndathil proposed conducting a Way of the Cross walk at the Thamarassery Churam and informed the then Bishop of Mananthavady diocese, Mar Jacob Thoomkuzhy. But the bishop was skeptical of people participating in the long-winding Way of the Cross procession. That year, summer was at its peak, and Fr. Thomas Thunndathil and devotees walked up the churam with the prayers that there should be rain when the Way of the Cross procession ends. And that’s exactly what happened. After that, it was decided to devotely walk along the Way of the Cross annually. Around 4,000 pilgrims participated in the first Way of the Cross walk at the Thamarassery churam. 

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Holy Week trips 
Special arrangements are made at Idukki’s prominent pilgrimage centers such as Wagamon Kurishumala and Ezhukumvayal Kurishumala during the holy week. 

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