Onam: State festival of Kerala

Share thoughts and ideas regarding what can be done to meet contemporary humanity's need for rites of initiation and passage.

Moderators: Clemsy, Martin_Weyers, Cindy B.

Locked
nandu
Associate
Posts: 3395
Joined: Fri May 31, 2002 12:45 am
Location: Kerala, the green country
Contact:

Onam: State festival of Kerala

Post by nandu »

Hello everybody!

Onam, the major festival of Kerala, is over (it was on the 27th of August this year). As I was in India on vacation, I could enjoy a traditional Onam this year. But I was so busy I could not wish my friends here a happy Onam. Well, better late than never! So:

HAPPY ONAM, ALL!

Onam is supposed to be the time when Maveli, the legendary king of Kerala (who is equated with the mythical Asura king Mahabali), comes on his yearly visit from the netherworld to see his subjects (the tale of Mahabali, who is kicked down to the netherworld by Vamana, an incarnation of Vishnu, is a classical planter's myth of the seed which goes in and comes back as grain).

I thought I'd share some pictures of the event.

Image


Image

These are the floral decorations which we make in the front yard of the house for nine days preceding onam. It is called "Pookkalam".

Image

This is "Onathappan" (Father Onam - Maveli), in his usual form of an earthen pyramid, truncated at the top.

Image

Onathappan with the feast spread out before him, on the traditional plantain leaf. (My son refused to accept that Onathappan would actually come and eat the food. He is six and growing up fast... pity!)

Nandu.
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu

Vissi
Associate
Posts: 847
Joined: Thu Jan 09, 2003 3:16 pm
Location: Symbol City, Deep In the Heart of the Sonoran Desert
Contact:

Post by Vissi »

My thanks, Nandu, for sharing the wealth of your holiday through these images. How beautiful.

Love First, Save Our Earth, Peace Now,
Dixie

Locked