Christmas in Kerala

We spent the days leading up to Christmas in the backwaters of Kerala, which was a fun place to be since Kerala is one of the few Indian states that is predominately Christian. So, it was an appropriate spot to get a bit of Christmas cheer. Decorations were simple, people would hang large colorful paper stars from their houses. Many of the houses along the canals had their stars lit in the evenings, which was a pleasant sight. The other evening activity was caroling! Groups of young folks would come around to the houses and sing their Malayalam (the local language) Christmas carols. There was a santa in every group of carolers with a suit on, often a big belly, and a face mask with bright pink skin. He would carry a staff with colorful balloons tied to the top of it. As the group would sing the upbeat carols and lay a mean percussion rhythm on a plastic jug, santa would dance around wildly. A more professional group came by raising money for a local school. This group came with several drums and trumpets and put on a very lively show! Christmas eve at the homestay, the family set off fireworks and had sparklers for the children. All along the canals you could hear fireworks set off in the distance. It was a festive atmosphere and we swapped stories with other travelers of what we would be doing back home to celebrate the holidays.