Happy Onam

Article Written by Anju Emmanuel

Today the Malayalee community (people from Kerala, India) celebrate Onam. Onam holds many memories of family getting together, games, songs and dances. To all those celebrating, a?Happy Onam?and for those who’d like to know more, please read on...

1.??????When is Onam Festival celebrated?

Onam is celebrated in the beginning of the month of Chingam, which is the first month of Malayalam calendar. The celebrations mark the Malayalam new year. Malayalam is the language spoken in Kerala, India. It usually falls in late August or early September, this year the Thiruvonam date is on Thursday 8 September.

2.??????What is the importance of Onam Festival???????????

Onam is a harvest festival celebrated in Kerala, India. Apart from being the harvest festival, Onam is celebrated to welcome the return of the legendary King Mahabali, who is more popularly known as?Maaveli. Believed to be one of the greatest kings to have ruled Kerala, it is said that he had an attachment to his subjects and that he would ascend to Earth every year and make a visit to his kingdom to see how they are faring in life.

According to the legend associated with Onam, King Mahabali was a demon king who belonged to the Asura tribe who defeated the Gods and began ruling over all three worlds. Despite being a demon, the king was kind-hearted and much-loved by the people. The Gods were insecure of King Mahabali’s popularity and Lord Vishnu stepped in to help contain him.

Lord Vishnu took on his fifth avatar, in the form of the Brahmin dwarf Vamana, and paid a visit to King Mahabali. King Mahabali asked Vamana what he wished for, to which Vamana responded, “three pieces of land”. When Vamana was granted his wish, he grew in size, and in his first and second step respectively, he covered the sky, and then the netherworld.

When Lord Vishnu was about to take his third step, King Mahabali offered his own head to the God. This act impressed Lord Vishnu so much that he granted Mahabali the right to visit his kingdom and people every year during Onam festivities.

3.??????For how many days is Onam Festival celebrated and what is the most important day?

The festival begins on the day known as Atham, and ends on the tenth day, known as Thiru Onam or Thiruvonam, also the most auspicious day during the festival of Onam. The 10th day is the most important day. It is believed that on Thiruvonam day, the spirit of legendary Mahabali visits Kerala. Festivities begin from early morning and the grand vegetarian feast of Onam called Onam Sadhya is also prepared this day.

4.??????What are the famous Onam Festival dances that are performed during the festival?

There are traditional dances like Thiruvathira, which will be part of the festivities. There are also Tiger dances called Pulikali (where people dress up as a tiger), a Tug of War, Thumbi Thullal?(a women’s ritual dance), a masked dance called Kummattikali, the martial art Onathallu, and folk songs among other fun activities such as the Vallamkali (boat race).

5.??????How do you make Pookalam flowers and how long does it take to complete?

Onam Pookalam is the flower bed or flower arrangements created during Onam. Traditionally, the Pookalam laid on Atham is known as Athapoo?and is quite small in size and adorned with yellow flowers. With each passing day of the festival, the size of the Pookalam increases with the addition of flowers.

6.??????What is the traditional vegetarian feast?

The traditional Onam Sadya (feast) is a nine-course meal that consists of 26 dishes. It includes Kalan (a sweet potato and yam coconut curry dish), Olan (white gourd prepared in coconut curry), Avial (seasonal vegetables in coconut curry), Kootu curry (a dish made of chickpeas), Rasam (a soup-like dish made with a base of tomato and pepper, eaten with rice and other preparations) and the much-loved dessert, ParippuPpayasam (a rice kheer preparation).