Revived in 1984, the carnival ends with a giant effigy burnt at midnight on New Year's Eve.
The Cochin Carnival turns Fort Kochi into a week-long street party at the end of every year, with festivities building from mid-December and peaking between Christmas and New Year's Day.
The modern carnival was revived in 1984 as a youth festival, though its roots go back to New Year celebrations introduced by Portuguese settlers in the 16th century.
Highlights include beach football, cycle races, tug-of-war, food stalls and cultural shows. A grand parade on New Year's Eve features floats, Kathakali and Theyyam performers, bands and decorated elephants.
The celebrations end at midnight on December 31 with the burning of the Pappanji, a giant bearded effigy, symbolising the farewell to the old year.
