celebration of onam

Rangoli or Kolam is one of the most popular arts in India. It is actually a kind of decorative motif made by using finely ground white powder, colors and flowers. A Rangoli can be either a wall art as well as floor art. The patterns in a traditional Rangoli are usually derived from nature. The most popular Rangoli motifs are peacocks, swans, mango, flowers, creepers, etc. Traditionally the dyes for the Rangoli are derived from natural like barks of trees, leaves, indigo, rice flour, vermilion and turmeric powder etc. However, these days the use of synthetic dyes has become extremely popular. It is considered auspicious to make a Rangoli or Kolam on the festive occasions.

Onam is the state festival of Kerala. It is a ten days long festival in which the tenth day, the day of Tiruvonam is considered extremely auspicious and fortunate. Malayalee families all over the world celebrate this occasion with great enthusiasm and gusto. People organize community celebrations and feasts for this occasion. They also decorate their home with flowers and torans. The most important part of Onam celebrations is the Onam Kolam or the Pookalam. Pookalam is very similar to Rangoli; in fact it can be termed as form of Rangoli. Poo means flower and Kalam means artwork. Made of flower and colors, it is a very beautiful decorative motif used as a floor decoration on most of the auspicious occasion.On the occasion of Onam, Pookalam is made in most of the Malayalee homes. It is basically a colorful arrangement of flowers on the floor. Making a pookalam every day is like a ritual in every home during the ten day long Atham to Thiruvonam celebrations. Flowers are used on each day, as a particular flower is dedicated to each day of Onam. Beautiful motifs are made using these flowers along with naturally derived colors and cowdung.

Traditional dance forms including Thiruvathira, Kummattikali, Pulikali, Thumbi Thullal etc. are performed as part of celebrations all over Kerala at this time. Thiruvathirakali is a women dance performed in a circle around a lamp. Kummattikali is a famous and colorful mask dance. In Thrissur, festivities includes a procession consisting of caparisoned elephants surrounded by Kummatikali dancers. The masked dancers go from house to house performing the colorful Kummattikali.Kathakali dance is also commonly performed during this time, with dancers enacting famous mythological legends. A famous venue for this is at Valluvanad which is associated with the growth of Kathakali, and Cheruthuruthy, where Kerala Kalamandalam is located.
Pulikali, also known as Kaduvakali is a common sight during Onam season. This dance showcases performers painted like tigers in bright yellow, red and black, who dance to the beats of instruments like Udukku and thakil.Performances of the ritual worship dance Theyyam are given during the Onam season. In this, Mahabali is played by the Onathar. Its variations include characters such as Oneswaran and Onapottan.At the Thrikkakara temple, every day of the festival showcases one or more of these activities including Kathakali, Thiruvathira, Chakyar koothu, Ottam thullal, Patakam, Onam songs and percussion instrument shows. The Onasadya here is grand in scale, and is attended by over ten thousand people from all religions and faiths.

The Vallamkali the snake boat race is another event that is synonymous with Onam. Well known races include the Aranmula Boat Race and the Nehru Trophy Boat Race. About 100 oarsmen row huge and graceful snake boats and men and women come from far and near to watch the snake boats skim through the water.To watch the grand gala race, thousands of people assemble on the banks of the river Pamba at Aranmulla where a temple dedicated to Lord Krishna and Arjuna is located. About 30 elaborately crafted Chundan Vallams or snake boats participate in the mega event.The boat race is conducted on a stretch of 40 kilometers from the hills to the low lying plains on the fifth day of Onam. The sight becomes endearing when one looks at the beautifully decorated boats being rowed by oarsmen dressed in white dhotis and turbans.

Traditional songs Vanchipattu, sung on the rhythm produced by splashing of boats furthers adds to the overall excitement of the team event.Each boat comprises of 150 men of which four are helsmen, 25 men are singers and 125 are the actual oarsmen.The most remarkable feature of the Snake Boat Race is the depiction of the great team spirit. It also displays the importance of being united and to be in harmony with nature. A single mistake by one person can produce imbalance and could lead to the overturning of the boat.These day even women participate with lot of enthusiasm in the event and a separate race is conducted for them.

The spectrum of Onam gets its shade of royalty with the regal elephant ride that takes place at Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala. Decked in GOLD, the favourite animal of royals of India looks even more magnificent. And, we have not just one but a whole lot of them.The Dazzling AttireIntricate designs are made on big golden plates made for the elephant forehead. These are big enough and continue till trunk. A lot of craftsmanship goes into making innovative and exquisite designs each year. Another striking element of the elephant decorative is the parasol. These are long stemmed ceremonial silk and satin umbrellas laced with white metal and placed on top of the animal. A silk robe, some jewelery and body painting adds to the looks. Only the most impressive and good looking animal gets the honor of being a part of the procession and wearing the ornate caparison.The Royal Show the spectacular procession of pachyderms is one of the major highlights of Onam and attracts thousands of enthusiastic people. Majestic as it is, the elephants look even more handsome with the ornate caparison that it gets on this day. A darling of children, pachyderm amuses its audience by garlanding some, staring others and shaking its trunk and the big body a little along with the rhythm. The crowd goes mad with laughter with these cute little pranks of the king sized animal. The event is inclusive of feasting, dance, music and merrymaking.

Onakalikal is a collective name for the numerous games played on the occasion of Onam. After a sumptuous Onasadhya meal, it the ideal time to indulge in a little bit of merriment and sports and energetic people of Kerala make the most of it.There are various kind of games devised for the occasion for people with different temperaments. While the old and the sober ones go in for indoor games like chess Chathurangam, cards and dice, the young and energetic love to participate in the outdoor and robust games. These games are traditional ones and have only minor regional variation from what we see in other parts of the country.Onakalikal also include combats, which are essentially a show of strength and physical might of the people of Kerala.
Kayyankali and Attakalam are two such combats. Of the two, Kayyankali is more violent where people fight one to one with their fists.For those who love shooting, there is a game of archery too, called Ambeyyal. It is an interesting event where bamboo bows and blunted arrows are used. People divide themselves into two teams and try to deprive each other of their STOCK of arrows. Though not meant to be violent, many a player get wounded in this.The other two interesting games played on the occasion are a ball game called Talappanthukali and a variation of Kabaddi locally called Kutukutu.

To play this unique kind of foot ball, players divide themselves into two groups. Talappanthukali is played in an open area. Natta a stick is planted at one end of ground and a line or boundary is drawn at the other end to mark the space beyond which the ball should not be thrown. A player from the team playing from the side of natta serves the ball to the opposite team. Players of the opposite team try to catch the ball. If the opposite team is able to catch the ball, the player who served is considered out. And, if the catch is missed the player who served, manages to get another chance. A player wins if he throws the ball at the stick and hits it.To celebrate the victory after hard labor, winning team make a circle round the planted stick. They dance with joy and sing in loud chorus.

The harvest festival of Onam is celebrated with great enthusiasm. People wait for the festive season very eagerly, because they get the opportunity to reconnect with their long lost friends and faraway acquaintances. According to the legends, King Mahabali visits every Malayalee household in Kerala, on the occasion of Onam, to enquire about their wellbeing. Therefore, in order to welcome their benevolent king, the Malayalees make sure that their home is kept spick and span and beautifully decorated, so that their king doesnt go back in dismay. Few days prior to Onam, the homes are scrub cleaned and decorated beautifully. If you want some home decor ideas for Onam, then this article is the right for you.

The tradition of buying and wearing new clothes for the occasion of Onam is called the Onakkodi.During the Onam, Keralite Hindus install an image of Thrikkakara Appan or Onatthappan Vishnu in the form of Vamana in their home just as Hindus install images or murtis of Lord Ganesh on the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.Many lamps are lit in Hindu temples of Kerala during this celebration. A palmyra tree is erected in front of temples and surrounded with a wooden balustrade and covered with dry palmyra leaves. It is lit with a torch and burned to ashes to signify that King Mahabali went to Patala as a sacrifice.The swing is another integral part of Onam, especially in the rural areas. Young men and women, decked in their best, sing Onappaatt, or Onam songs, and rock one another on swings slung from high branches.Onam season is often associated with creativity as weavers and potters go for excess production to cater to increased demands for their products during the season, especially in North Kerala regions of Kannur and Kasargod. Handloom fairs are an integral part of the spirit of Onam festivities these days.In some parts of Kerala, people indulge in various games and dances during and post Thiruvonam. These are known as Onakkalikal. These include competitions such as Ox races Maramadimatsaram, Uriyady, food eating competitions, Pookalam competitions etc.