The
people of Kerala form a well educated and mature society. Keralites are
popularly called 'Malayalees' for the language they speak (Malayalam). The
women mostly dress themselves in those wonderful six meters of silk / cotton
called 'saree'. The men mostly attired to trousers and shirts like the rest
of the world. However you should not be surprised if you find them dressed
in the traditional 'Mundu' at home.The Hindus account for nearly 60% of the population. The rest of the 40% is almost equally divided between the Christians and Muslims.
Malayalam, the local language is considered to be a very complete language it has 56 alphabets and many more vowels, making every word and accent in the world easily pronounceable to the Malayalee. English is well understood and is taught in schools and colleges.
BREAKFAST Puttu : ( A kind of steam cake made of rice flour and coconut), customarily accompanied by a spicy curry made of Bengal gram and fried pappadams, makes for an authentic Malayalee breakfast. Another is vellayappam ( a pan cake made with a batter of rice flour and yeast) which goes well with potato stew. Substitute the stew with a meat preparation and what you have is a filling. From fluffy idlis, crisp dosas, and uppmavu ( a porridge like dish made with semolina) can be severed with coconut chutney and sambar with a cup of hot, sweet tea lending a perfect finish to your morning repast. Keralites are also justifiably proud of their seafood. Anyone who has experience Kerala seafood will readily agree to its great variety and racy taste. Fish, prawns, crabs etc. all are always available and all will find them most palatable .
SADHYA : Steaming hot rice is served on plantain leaves accompanied by kallan (spiced up curry made of vllarikya and ripe mangoes in butter milk), Olan (white pumpkins, potatoes, and coconut in a wheyey gravy), and erisseri (jackfruit in a thick peppery gravy). The dishes are made predominantly using gourds and pumpkins, mangoes, jackfruit, and coconuts which are found in abundance during the season. Crisp, fried jackfruit fingers and pappadams supplement the typical feast, with payasam made of rice and milk, ending it on a sweet note
MARRIAGE CUSTOMS : Kerala has evolved through the ages its own marriage customs and code of morals . The different communities and castes of Kerala have developed over centuries their own typical marriage ceremonies. The Hindus belonging to all castes generally compare the horoscope of the boy with that of the girl and satisfy themselves of their compatibility before the proposal for the marriage. 'Tali tying' and presentation of cloth i.e., pudavokoda in South Kerala and pudamuri in North Kerala have become and essential part of Hindu marriages.
The Christians and Muslims have their own characteristic marriage ceremonies. The one thing common they have with Hindu marriages is the tall - wedding badge - tying ceremony. The tali of the Christians is a cord made out of 21 threads from the marriage cloth or mantrakodi which is also presented to the bride.
Among
the Muslims, the actual ceremony is called 'Nikkah'. The father of
the bride sit face to face with the bridegroom, clasping each others hands.
The musaliar, the priest, then announces the conditions of the marriage
contract and the bridegroom gives his consent. The mahar or the amount the
bridegroom has agreed to pay to the bride will also then be publicly
announced. The women do not generally take part in the nikkah but they
assemble in ceremony.Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy . Rice is the staple food of Keralities. Kerala is unique and probably the only region in the world where farming is done below sea level.