Re: [nukkad] Onam wishes

[Harshal Chhaya <>]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tip of the day:  Prune messages that you are forwarding or replying to include 
only the relevant material.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------


Some more info on Onam.
This was posted on the Bangalore-Talk list by Krishna. 


- 'shal


ONAM...

Onam is a time for sports, festivities, and ritual celebrations in 
Kerala. The Keralites celebrate this festival in memory of the golden 
era of King Mahabali whose spirit is said to visit the state at the 
time of Onam. Colorful aquatic festivals are organized along the 
sacred rive Pampa as part of the celebrations. 

After three months of heavy rains, the sky becomes a clear blue and 
the forests a deep green. The brooks and streams come alive, spouting 
a gentle white foam, the lakes and rivers overflow and lotuses and 
lilies are in full bloom as if to welcome the spirit of the King. It 
is time to reap the harvest, to celebrate and to rejoice. 

TIME OF THE YEAR 

Depending on the positioning of the stars and the moon, the festival 
is held at the end of August or beginning of September, less than a 
fortnight after the Malayalam New Year, Chingam begins. This is the 
biggest festival of the southern Indian state of Kerala. 

CELEBRATIONS 

At Aranmulla, where there is a temple dedicated to Lord Krishna and 
Arjuna, thousands of people gather on the banks of the river Pamba to 
witness the exciting Snake Boat races. Nearly 30 chundan vallams or 
snake boats participate in the festival. Owned by villages bordering 
the river from the hills to the low lying plains- a stretch of about 
40 kilometres - these boats are steered by oarsmen dressed in white 
dhotis and turbans. Singing traditional boat songs, the oarsmen 
splash their oars into the water to the rhythm of the songs. They 
guide their boats to cruise along, seemingly like a fish on the move. 
The golden lace at the head of the boat, the flag and the ornamental 
umbrella at the center make it a spectacular show of pageantry. 
Though ostensibly a competitive event, the festival is more a visual 
extravaganza.

To date on the eve of Thiru Onam the boat Palliodam floats down from 
Katoormana to the accompaniment of blowing of conch shells, music and 
drum beating. Torches are lit and snake boats accompany the 
procession. The colourful boat festival is held on Uthruttathi or the 
fifth day after Thiru Onam.

Each snake boat belongs to a village along the banks of the river 
Pamba and is worshipped like a deity. Only men are allowed to board 
or even touch a boat and that just barefoot. Every year the boat is 
oiled mainly with fish oil, coconut shell, and carbon, mixed with 
eggs. The black mixture keeps the wood strong and the boat slippery 
in the water. Annual repairs are carried out lovingly by the village 
carpenter and people take pride in their boat, which represents their 
village and is named after it.

Tradition demands that the Nambudiri Brahmin be at the main rudder 
oar about 12 feet long. There are four main oarsmen who control the 
movement of the boat. And in minutes the boat can turn around just by 
the twist of the hand by the chief oarsman. In the old days the 
villagers used to sit in the boat in order of their castes but today 
the order is changing though a certain pattern can still be 
distinguished. Everyone- the carpenter, the barber, the goldsmith, 
the blacksmith as well as the agricultural labourers - all have a 
place on the boat. And in close harmony and magnificent 
synchronization they pull at the oars. In Trichur, a vibrant 
procession with resplendently caparisoned elephants is taken out.


RITUALS 

Onam is celebrated throughout Kerala; singing and merry making is its 
hallmark. Onam depicts the story of Mahabali the king who rules the 
country during a time of prosperity. He still visits Kerala annually 
to bless the people. The women dress up and decorate the entrance to 
their homes to welcome Mahabali. The whole state comes alive with 
festivity and activity. A time for prayers and ceremonies, a time to 
celebrate and rejoice, a time for fun and sports. A time for the 
snake boat festival. 


LEGENDS 

There are beautiful stories woven around this festival, which is over 
500 years old. The first to find mention in Onam-related legends is 
that of King Mahabali. It is believed that the people of the region 
were extremely happy and content during his rule. So much so, that 
the gods got envious of him and asked Lord Vishnu to take away his 
kingdom. Lord Vishnu disguised as a Brahmin dwarf Vamana, asked the 
King for three steps of land, which he readily granted. Vishnu then 
shed his disguise and covered the earth and heaven in two steps. For 
the third, King Mahabali offered his head. However, before putting 
his foot on Mahabali’s head, Lord Vishnu granted the King’s last 
wish, that he be able to visit his kingdom once every year. It is to 
welcome Mahabali back to his kingdom that Onam is celebrated with 
such joy. 

According to another tale, once many years ago, a boat named 
Palliodam floated down the river laden with food. All of sudden on a 
turning in the river, the oarsmen tried to move it but were 
unsuccessful. The spiritual head, Bhattathiripad, believing that it 
was a bad omen climbed up the riverbank. He saw a hut where a dim 
light was glowing. When he went towards it he found a poor widow 
weeping, a few children were sleeping around the kitchen floor. She 
told the Nambudiri that she had no food and that her children had 
gone to sleep hungry. The Nambudiri brought out food from the boat 
and gave it to the poor family. Since then it has become a tradition 
amongst the Nambudiris to feed one poor person before the Onam feast. 

Another legend has it that once about 10 kilometers up the river 
Pampa from Aranmulla, the head of the Katoor Mana, a Nambudiri 
family, offered prayers and had a bath and waited to feed a poor man. 
After a long wait he began to pray to Lord Krishna. When he opened 
his eyes there stood before him a poor boy almost naked. The 
Nambudiri took him to the river, gave him a bath, a new set of 
clothes and a splendid meal. Much to the surprise of the Nambudiri, 
soon after eating the meal the boy disappeared. The search for the 
little boy led the Nambudiri to the Aranmulla Temple. But after a 
brief encounter the boy disappeared again. The Nambudiri thereafter 
brought the food to Aranmulla Temple every year during Onam. 


**********



-- 
 http://www.mumbai-central.com : Where Mumbaikars meet

 Send email to get-bse@mumbai-central.com for the latest BSE listings
 and to get-nse@mumbai-central.com to get the latest NSE listings


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To Subscribe [Unsubscribe] send a blank message to 
        nukkad-list-request@mumbai-central.com 
with the word 'subscribe' ['unsubscribe'] (without quotes) in the Subject 
of your message.
The list is archived at  http://www.mumbai-central.com/nukkad/archive.html