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ONAM..THE FESTIVAL OF GOD'S OWN COUNTRY

Monday, April 29, 2013,5:24 AM
written By :   Ponmathi Srilekha.S
"Life becomes a festival when gaiety and culture blend. Onam delivers the message of both." Floral Rangoli patterns on doorsteps, women decorated in new off white cotton sarees with golden borders, gold jewellery and flowers in hair, large banquet feast for lunch, grand snake boat races……you can visualize all this and you know we are talking about the traditional celebrations of Onam.

The festival most synonymous with culture of Kerala, Onam, is celebrated across the world by Malayalis, to mark the harvesting season of rice and flowers, celebrated on the day commemorating the home coming of emperor Mahabali.  Legend has it that Emperor Mahabali's reign gave Kerala its best time as there was happiness and prosperity.

The dishes are served in a particular order which is essential to allowing the flavors to come out in the best possible manner and later for the food to be digested properly. The meal comprises of different varieties of curries, fried appetizers, pickles of different kind, chutneys with a sweet dessert ending. Some very popular Onam Sadya dishes are - Erissery (pumpkin/yam and raw banana curry); Kalan or Pulisseri (plantains cooked in buttermilk); Olan (cucumber and brinjal boiled and cooked in coconut oil); Aviyal (mixed vegetables cooked in coconut milk); Thoran (grated coconut seasoned beetroot); Kootukari (mix vegetable and bengal gram curry); Sambar; Rasam; banana chips; pickles; papads; a beverage called Chukku (cumin and ginger boiled) and the dessert is Payasam or Prathman (rice/dal cooked in milk/coconut milk).Onam Sadya

He brought such a golden era to Kerala that even Gods were jealous of him. Upon their request, Lord Vishnu took the Vamana avatar - the form of a Brahmin - and asked Mahabali to grant him all that he could cover in three steps. The Brahmin, being the Lord himself, covered the whole of earth in one step, the heavens in the second and Mahabali offered himself in the third step as nothing else was left. Lord Vishnu blessed Mahabali and sent him to heaven, but he asked the Lord to allow him to visit his people once every year as he loved his subjects a lot. It is this day of his return every year that the people of Kerala celebrate. They rejoice and convey through their celebrations to their beloved king that they are happy and prosperous, just like how he would have wanted them to be.

The festival is celebrated for 10 days. With every passing day, the size and patterns of the Rangoli keeps getting bigger. It culminates in the last day of celebration called ThiruOnam, when people start early morning by cleaning their houses, bathing early and adorning new clothes and jewellery, distribute to the poor and needy and conduct special prayers and celebrations at the temple. But the highlight of the day, as with all Indian festivals is the lunch feast, also called Onam Sadya.

The attempt on this day is to make the lunch feast as grand as possible. However, usually, it is a nine course strictly vegetarian meal, with rice as a staple. Mostly, there are eleven essential dishes (sometimes thirteen) present in the feast traditionally served on a banana leaf platter and eaten with hands. 
Papads are served first on the extreme left of the leaf. Banana is served over it. From the right, salt, banana chips, and jaggery coated appetizers are served. Ginger, lime and mango pickles come next. Next comes dry vegetable dishes and Thoran on the right. And finally, Aviyal and Koottukari. Sambhar and Rasam are served with rice, after some Ghee has been poured on it. The red variety of rice is popular in Kerala. This whole meal is first served and offered to God, mostly Lord Ganesha, and an oil lamp is lighted. Post which, everybody seats themselves on mats on the ground and food is served in front of them.

This festival, although considered one of the most ancient ones, like all other festivals, has been impacted by urban life pressures. From the time  when Onam Sadya was a 64-dish affair to today's time and resource crunch situation, where it is much restricted than that.

But, festivals are about the cheer and the spirit, which no amount of modernization can impact. Onam brings together in it, so many elements of happiness - beauty, food, laughter, dancing, decoration, and the list goes on.
Here's a festival that touches every sense of the human body, mind and soul.

Happy Onam everyone

HIGHLIGHTS

The festival is celebrated for 10 days. With every passing day, the size and patterns of the Rangoli keeps getting bigger. It culminates in the last day of celebration called ThiruOnam, when people start early morning by cleaning their houses, bathing early and adorning new clothes and jewellery, distribute to the poor and needy and conduct special prayers and celebrations at the temple. But the highlight of the day, as with all Indian festivals is the lunch feast, also called Onam Sadya.

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Ponmathi Srilekha.S

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