Onam

 Hey everyone!!! I am a Malayali and our major festivals are Onam and Vishu. Onam comes in August/ September and this year it is the coming week. If you don't know, I thought of sharing with you why and how we celebrate Onam. Onam is a harvest festival and mythology says that it is celebrated to honour and appreciate the kind-hearted and beloved demon King Mahabali. In our family we wake up early on Onam, take baths and go to a temple. Usually, we have get-togethers with our extended families and have lunch together. Lunch consists of many curries like elassery,olan kalan, avial,sambar, toran,kootu curry, rice and banana chips. We have these delicacies on a banana leaf.Onam is celebrated for 10 days and on each day we put something like a Rangoli called pookalam with colourful flowers from our garden. This is what we do for Onam. But,in rural villages they keep a clay pyramid structure with four faces and a flat top that symbolizes thrikakkarrappan. This year as we are in Kerala, we could do this too. This unique structure represents Vamana, an incarnation of lord Vishnu. Onam story says that Vamana had sent Mahabali to pattalam at thrikkakara. It is believed that Vishnu unjustly pushed king Mahabali into the nether world or pathalam. But, lord Vishnu granted King Mahabali a boon to visit his subjects once in a year. The day he visits came to be known as Onam.This makes Onam a unique festival in which both the victor and the vanquished are worshipped.In the early days thrikakarrappan was made using mud or clay. Now it is available on amazon during onam sale. While welcoming king Mahabali to their house people place a thrikakarappan in the front of their house and perform poojas.Unfortunately, this year we might not celebrate it very enthusiastically but still try our best to enjoy it. We have cousins come over who will join us in this celebration. Thank You!

By

Shreya

Grade 8B

Orchids International School Vivekananda