Happy Onam everyone
Posted on: 04/Sep/2017 10:45:53 AM
Across Kerala, and all the Malyalees in India celebrate Onam festival between August and September. The festival also holds its exclusivity in nations like UAE and the USA. This is a harvest festival considered as among the most important annual festivals for people in Kerala. Boat race, tiger dance, beautiful floral decoration, mask dance, etc are some of the highlights of the festival. In 2017, the festival falls today.
The Onam story:
There is a story that goes behind Onam festival. It is believed that Asura King Mahabali was ruling the entire state of Kerala. The entire people of the state were very fond of him. Feeling insecure because of his immense popularity, the gods pleaded to Lord Vishnu seeking for help to contain Mahabali. Accepting their pleas, Lord Vishnu appeared as the dwarf Brahmin Vaman which is his 5th Avatar. He visited Mahabali and the king wished for 3 pieces of land.
Vamana then saw multitudinous growth in his stature. He covered the sky and netherworld in his first and second steps, and in the final step he gave out his own head. Accepting his piety, the lord blessed him with the boon that he can visit the people once in a year which is called the Onam.
Rituals practiced during Onam:
The devotees celebrate the day taking bath early and they pray to the lord with beautiful flower Rangolis which they call as ‘Poo Kolam’. People visiting Kerala during this festival can enjoy the period witnessing dance, boat race, and a thorough feast of traditional dishes served on banana leaves.
The traditional feast:
Vegetables like Yam, Cucumber, Gourd, Banana Chips, Fried banana with jaggery coating, Sambar, Pickles, Payasam, etc are some of the inclusions in the Onam feast.
