Thrissur Pooram
27 April 2026 · movable holiday — Parasols rise and drums resound – happy Pooram!
Thrissur Pooram is a major temple festival held in Thrissur, in the Indian state of Kerala. It takes place each year on the day of the Pooram lunar asterism (nakshatra, one of the 27 lunar mansions of the Indian calendar) in the Malayalam month of Medam, usually falling in April–May. The celebration centers on the Vadakkunnathan temple, where processions from neighboring temples gather. It is best known for rows of decorated elephants wearing golden ornaments on their foreheads, and for the spectacular exchange of colorful silk parasols (kudamattam), raised high in rhythm. Huge percussion ensembles, such as chenda melam, set the pace and draw thousands of spectators. Because the date follows the lunar calendar, it shifts from year to year. The sky acts as a clock here: the day is set by the Moon's position among the stars. Our starry elephant passes over the city in respect of this tradition.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver elephant made of pale glowing dots and fine lines like a constellation, with a golden-lit frontal ornament and a silken parasol of light above it that slowly shifts color
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