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Thursday 17 April 2014

Onam



On the 15th day, I am presenting the Onam festival in the 'A to Z challenge of words'.

Onam is the most famous  festival of Kerala.
It is celebrated in the month of August/September.  It is celebrated with great fervour and enthusiasm by people, irrespective of caste or creed, rich or poor. It is a harvest festival. According to a legend King Bali was a very kind and benevolent person. He was very generous and was worshipped by his subjects. The story goes that Maha  Vishnu came to Mahabali’s  palace disguised as poor Vamana,(a dwarf) asking for alms. Mahabali, being kind hearted, told Vamana to ask without any qualms, whatever he wanted. Vamana came back to his original form and  asked for three steps of land, which were granted to him happily. In the first step, Vamana took hold of Heaven, in the second step, the Earth and in the last step, he pushed Mahabali to Hell (Netherland). However Vamana allowed the King to visit his subjects once a year. To this day, people decorate their houses, streets and fields to welcome their King.  

Flower decorations known as Pookalams are seen in every house.  People wear new dresses and celebrations go on for ten days. 


A Sadya (feast) is prepared in every house consisting of  15 to 16 delectable dishes, like Avial, Ereserry, Rasam along with Payasam, served on a banana leaf. 

Kathakali dance perfomances  are organised on large scale. This is a special form of dance in which only males perform. Many dances by female artists also , are a part of  the celebrations. Many dances by female artists also , are a part of  the celebrations.  
              

29 comments:

  1. I love the floral rangolis, I remember our hostel mates had put a beautiful pookalam for Onam.

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  2. Short and crisp,you have brought out the essentials of Onam.The pookalam,sadya and the dance in new clothes are integral parts of the festival.You have made my mouth water with the picture of banana leaf and the wide spread

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  3. the rangoli looks so bright and colorful n the dishes look yum! i can only imagine how the state would look when every house is decorated this beautifully :-)

    http://swathishenoy.blogspot.in/2014/04/o-for-optimism.html?m=1
    a-z participant

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    1. Thank you Swathi. I am glad you like the festival.

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  4. Love those pictures. The food looks awesome.

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    1. Thank you Tulika. Eating on a banana is an old tradition.

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  5. very crisply you brought the essence of onam with the legend and the rituals like pookolam , sadya and kathakali. Well complemented with photos.

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  6. Thank God I had my breakfast before coming here :D And you've made this post so informative and colourful with the snaps :) Nowadays it is heartening to note that females are also learning Kathakali :)

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    1. Yes Sreeja. I am glad you liked the post.

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  7. i have so many malayalee friends that every thing that u described seems like i know it so well!!!!

    each day as i read your posts, it makes me so happy to be a part of this lovely country, it rich rich heritage, its diversity and the celebrations!!! thank u so much!

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    1. Thanks Titli. that you love the rich spirit of the bio.

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  8. Another tale behind a gr8 festival...loving the series :)

    O for Ostracized-Random Thoughts Naba

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    1. All our festivals are based on legends.Children love to hear them

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  9. Nostalgic Topic.Well-written,ma'am.

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  10. Love the brilliant colors in the pictures. Another great festival! Your country seems to have so many reasons to celebrate♥

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  11. One of the most vibrant and tasty yummy food wala festival!!

    ~S(t)ri
    Participant|AtoZ Challenge 2014
    Smile, it makes (y)our day!

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  12. I have read alot about Onam. Little did I know about its history. I loved the colourful rangoli picture here :) and 'Banana leaf'- traditional way of serving food. :)

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    1. Glad that you liked the rangoli. Thanks.

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  13. You have explained the rituals of the festival nicely, Usha. The sadya looks mouth watering! Most Keralites follow their customs wherever they go!

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    1. Yes Sandhya. The fest is very important for keralites.

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  14. Usha ji, such a well written, informative post! I love your theme!

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  15. I really like celebrating Onam. Those colorful pookalams and sumptuous dish, something you will look forward to in every Onam celebration. I am so excited for this coming Onam 2014. I kinda start missing my hometown.

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    1. Yes Prasad. Every Malyali looks forward for Onam. Where is your home town?

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