Onam festival
Onam is one of the greatest festivals of Kerala. It
is the festival, which the keralites celebrate unitedly
without the difference of caste and religion. Onam is
a time for sports and festivities and in Kerala where
one third of the area is low lying, covered with canals,
lakes and backwaters; the people take to their boats
and country crafts to celebrate. Colourful aquatic festivals
are organized along the sacred rive Pamba.
After three months of heavy rains, the sky becomes
a clear blue and the forests a deep green. The brooks
and streams come alive, spitting forth-gentle white
foam, the lakes and rivers overflow and lotuses and
lilies are in full bloom. It is time to reap the harvest,
to celebrate and to rejoice. The harvest festival of
Onam corresponds with the Malayalam New Year, Chingam.
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Onam is the most important harvest
festival of Kerala and is an attraction for thousands
of people within and outside the state. Ranging
from four days to ten days, all the activities during
this season are cantered around worshipping, music,
dances, sports, boat races and good food. It is
celebrated in the Malayalam month Chingam (ending
of August and beginning of September). This year
it falls on 15 September 2005. Onam is a harvest
festival, and celebrates the bounty of nature after
a year of hard labour. Elaborate procession of Trichur
and spectacular snake boat races on River Pampa
mark the merry-making nature of the festival. Women
dress up in new saris and heavy jewellery and make
elaborate and intricate designs of 'rangolis' (with
coloured rice paste) and 'pookkalam' (with flowers)
in front of their homes. |
Onam is a celebration of Ten days. People put flower
mats in front of their houses, to welcome the King.
There will be competition for the laying of flower mats;
Keralites all over the world will be celebrating these
ten days will pomp and gaiety. They will wear new dresses,
will be visiting almost all temples which they can,
they will be performing lot of dances like Thiruvathira
kali Thumbi Tullal etc. to name a few and the most important
thing is the grant lunch they will be having on the
Thiuruvonam day. Which is also called the Fourth Onam.
Whatever may happen they will not miss the Grant lunch.
There is a saying in Malayalam that "Kanam Vittu
Onam Unnanam" which means, "We should have
the Thiruonam lunch even if we have to sell all our
properties". They give that much importance to
the lunch on the Thiruonam day.
Onam is a celebration of Ten days. It comes in the
month of "Chingam" according to Malayalam
calender. People put flower mats in front of their houses,
to welcome the King. There will be competition for the
laying of flower mats; Keralites all over the world
will be celebrating these ten days will pomp and gaiety.
They will wear new dresses, will be visiting almost
all temples which they can, they will be performing
lot of dances like Thiruvathira kali Thumbi Tullal etc.
to name a few and the most important thing is the grant
lunch they will be having on the Thiuruvonam day. Which
is also called the Fourth Onam. Whatever may happen
they will not miss the Grant lunch. There is a saying
in Malayalam that "Kanam Vittu Onam Unnanam"
which means, "We should have the Thiruonam lunch
even if we have to sell all our properties". They
give that much importance to the lunch on the Thiruonam
day.
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