HAPPY ONAM - SEASON OF FESTIVALS...

ONAM

Onam ( ഓണം) is a festival celebrated in Kerala, India. It is also the state festival of Kerala with State holidays on 4 days starting from Onam Eve (Uthradom) to the 3rd Onam Day.
The festival falls during the Malayalam month of Chingam (Aug - Sep) and marks the commemoration of Vamana avatara of Vishnu and the subsequent homecoming of the mythical King Mahabali.In Kerala, it is the festival celebrated with most number of cultural elements such as Vallam Kali, Pulikali, Pookkalam, Onathappan, Thumbi Thullal, Onavillu, Kazhchakkula, Onapottan,Atthachamayam etc. Onam is reminiscent of Kerala's agrarian past, as it is considered to be a harvest festival. The official date is set by the Indian National Calendar.

Onam is an ancient festival which still survives in modern times. Kerala's rice harvest festival and the Festival of Rain Flowers, which fall on the month of Chingam, celebrates the Asura King Mahabali's annual visit from Patala Loka . Onam is unique since Mahabali has been revered by the Hindu people of Kerala.The King is so much attached to his kingdom that it is believed that he comes annually from the nether world to see his people living happily. It is in honour of King Mahabali that Onam is celebrated. The deity Vamana, also called Thrikkakarappan is also revered during this time by installing a clay figure next to the floral carpet (Pookalam) .The birthday of Sri Padmanabhan, the presiding Deity of Thiruvananthapuram, is on the Thiruvonam day in the month of Chingam. Thiruonam day is the most important day of Onam. In Onam 2016, Thiruvonam date is 14 September.

Mahabali's rule is considered the golden era of Kerala, ancient Bharata. The following song is often sung over Onam:

“

Maveli nadu vaneedum kalam, manusharellarum onnupole amodhathode vasikkum kalam apathangarkkumottillathanum. adhikal vyadhikalonnumilla balamaranangal kelppanilla Dushtare kankondu kanmanilla Nallavarallathe illa paaril..illa paaril kallavum illa chathiyumilla ellolamilla polivachanam kallampparayum cherunazhiyum kallatharangal mattonnumilla Vellikolaadikal naazhikalum Ellam kanakkinu thulyamaayi..thulyamaayi

”

... (Translation)

“

When Maveli ruled the land, All the people were equal- Times when people were joyful and merry; They were all free from harm. There was neither anxiety nor sickness, Deaths of children were unheard of, No wicked person was in sight anywhere All the people on the land were good. There was neither theft nor deceit, And no false words or promises. Measures and weights were right; There were no lies, No one cheated or wronged his neighbor. When Maveli ruled the land, All the people formed one casteless race

”

Onam mythology may have been devised as a political allegory/tool where by the subjects could remind the rulers about an Ideal King and a welfare state. Onam songs mentions many of the modern social/economic indicators of a Welfare State including Crime rates, Child Mortality rates etc. Rulers may also have promoted it as it may have served as an indicator/barometer of the popularity/unpopularity of their Governance policies. The beauty of the festival lies in its secular fabric. People of all religions, castes and communities celebrate the festival with equal joy and verve. Onam also helps to create an atmosphere of peace and brotherhood by way of various team sports organised on the day

Onam falls in the month of Chingam, which is the first month according to the Malayalam Calendar. The celebrations begin within a fortnight of the Malayalam New Year and go on for ten days. All over the state of Kerala, festive rituals, traditional cuisine, dance and music mark this harvest festival. The ten-day Onam festival is considered to be flagged off with Atthachamayam (Royal Parade on Atham Day) in Thripunithara (a suburb of Kochi City). The parade is colourful and depicts all the elements of Kerala culture with more than 50 floats and 100 tableaux. The main center of festival is at Vamanamoorthy Thrikkakara temple within Kochi City, believed to be the ancient capital of King Mahabali. The temple is dedicated to Lord Vamana and is directly linked to the mythological background of Onam.

The ten days of Onam are celebrated with great fanfare, by Malayalees. Of all these days, most important ones are the first day, Atham, and the tenth and final day, Thiru-Onam (Thiruvonam). The rich cultural heritage of Kerala comes out in its best form and spirit during the festival.

POOKALAM

The floral carpet, known as ‘Onapookkalam’,is made out of the gathered blossoms with several varieties of flowers of differing tints pinched up into little pieces to serve the decorator's purpose. It is considered a work of art accomplished with a delicate touch and a highly artistic sense of tone and blending. (In a similar manner North Indians make something called "Rangoli" which is made of powders of various colors.) When completed, a miniature pandal, hung with little festoons is erected over it.

Traditionally, Atthapookalams (pookalam made on the Atham day) included flowers endemic to Kerala and theDashapushpam (10-flowers), but nowadays all varieties of flowers are used.Earthen mounds, which look somewhat like square pyramids, representing Mahabali and Vamana are placed in the dung-plastered courtyards in front of the house along with the Pookalam, and beautifully decorated with flowers. In the recent years, the floral designs have evolved from the traditional circular shape to unique designs depicting different cultural and social aspects of Kerala life. All over Kerala,Pookalam competitions are a common sight on Onam day. People start putting atha-pookalams from Atham ( First day of 10-day festival ) till thiruvonam, while only some put Onam Pookalams till the 28th day after thiruvonam.

The Onam sadya (feast) is another very indispensable part of Thiruvonam, and almost every Keralite attempts to either make or attend one. The feast is served on plantain leaves and consists of about 26 dishes, including (but not limited to) 

• Chips (especially Banana chips)
• Sharkaraveratti (Fried pieces of banana coated with jaggery) ^[14]
• Pappadam

Various vegetable curries such as

• Thoran
• Mezhukkupuratti
• Kaalan
• Olan
• Avial
• Sambhar
• Dal served along with a small quantity of ghee
• Erisheri
• Rasam
• Puliseri

Moru (Curd with water)

• Pickles, both sweet and sour
• Two different types of buttermilk
• A chutney powder prepared from grated coconut
• A series of dessert called Payasam (a sweet dish made of milk, sugar, jaggery and other traditional Indian savories) eaten either straight or mixed with a ripe small plantain.

In hotels and temples, the number of curries and dishes may go up to 30. The importance of the feast to the Kerala's Onam celebration culture is captured in the famous Malayalam proverb "Kaanam Vittum Onam Unnanam" which means "One must have the Onam lunch even one is forced to sell his property"

PULIKALIII

KERALA BOAT RACE

       നെഹ്‌റു ട്രോഫി വള്ളംകളി

 

Nehru Trophy Boat Race 2016 - August 13 (Saturday)

Alappuzha is famous for its annual boat race, held on the second Saturday of August every year. The long elegant snake boats, with crews of over hundred men vying to win the coveted trophy, attract spectators from all over. This was started in 1952 when India's first Prime Minister, Mr. Jawaharlal Nehru, visited Alappuzha, and inaugurated the function in which the gigantic snake boats with over 100 rowers in each raced one another. It is called a Snake Boat Race as its 135 feet length has since been overtaken by Vellankulangara snake boat, which is 140 feet long.

Origin of Snake Boat Race of Kerala

In the year 1952, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited the erstwhile Travancore-Cochin. On his way to Alappuzha district from Kottayam he was given a roaring reception by the people of Alappuzha, escorted by the huge snake-boats. Having gone through the tremendous excitement of sailing in a snake boat popularly known as Chundan he donated a rolling trophy to be awarded to the winner of the Snake Boat Races to be held every year. The trophy is a replica of a snake boat in silver, placed on wooden abacus on which the following words of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru the first prime minister of India are inscribed above his signature.

"To the winner of the boat-race, which is a unique feature of community life in Travancore-Cochin" - This was later christened, 'Nehru Trophy'. From then onwards, year after year, the boat race has grown into Alappuzha`s most important event.



The Legend of Nehru Trophy Boat Race

The Rajas of Yore

The story of these battling boats goes back 400 years in history when the rajas of the erstwhile principalities of Chempakasseri (Ambalappuzha), Kayamkulam, Thekkumkoor (Changanacherry) and Vadakkumkoor (Kottayam) in the old Travancore area, which were part of the present Alappuzha district and Kottayam district, frequently, crossed swords on the backwaters of Kuttanad. The Chempakasserry troops suffered heavy casualties at the hands of the superior navy their rivals commanded. It soon dawned on the Chempakasserry Raja that the real defect was with his war boats, which were sluggish and cumbersome.

He called all the boat architects in the land to his court and told them of his desire to have better and faster boats for the troops. After days of hard labour, a man who was reputed to be the best boat architect in Chempakasserry, Koduppunna Venkitanarayanan Asari, came up with a specimen which satisfied the raja’s requirements. It had speed, manoeuvrability and capacity to carry 100 able-bodied warriors on board and its eel-like construction was most ideal for launching an ambush since it could be easily kept concealed behind the overhanging bushes on the river banks. The Asari was generously rewarded and in the subsequent battles, the Chempakasseri Raja emerged victorious.

The Deceit

The story goes on to tell how the defeated Kayamkulam Raja sent a spy to Chempakasserri to learn the secret of the new war boat. The spy, a handsome youth, succeeded in seducing Asari’s daughter. The girl’s mother was overjoyed by the prospect of getting him as her daughter’s bridegroom and persuaded her husband to teach him the construction of the boat.

Needless to say, the deceitful youth disappeared the moment he thought that he had learnt the secret. Asari was imprisoned by Chempakasserri Raja for treason. But he was released and showered with many honours when the snake boats built by the Kayamkulam Raja proved to be no match for the war boats of Chempakasserry in the next battle. The subtleties of the snake boat’s design are hard to pickup and even today it requires years of apprenticeship under a master boat architect before one could independently undertake the construction of this ancient boat.

When a village decides to have a new snake boat, a committee is formed to raise the Rs.6 lakhs; it requires now to build the boat. The boat architect is summoned and the search for the “anjili” (which is the common name or the familiar name for this) tree of the required size often takes the villagers to the high ranges of Kerala. As the snake boat takes shape out of the huge trunk, the ‘asari’ relies mainly on his instinctive estimates. Of late, the boat builders’ prime concern is to make the snake boat as long as possible so as to seat more and more rowers for speed. The Nedumbhagom snake boat recently entered the Guinness Book of Records as the longest rowing boat in the world.
The celebrations that mark this annual event include music and folk dance performances and of course the boat race. The Nehru Trophy boat race is organized every year on the second Saturday in the month of August. The drum beats and boat songs called vanchipattu that complement these boat races almost work the spectators and the oarsmen into a frenzy of activity and adds a sense of thrill to the entire boat race.

So come and visit Alappuzha with the site Kerala Backwaters during the time when the Nehru Trophy boat race takes place. This adventure filled water sport is definitely worth a visit during your Kerala backwaters tour to Kerala, India. Today the Boat Race has grown into Alappuzha's single most important tourist event with boats being sponsored by different villages. Competition is severe as the boats with over 100 rowers in each, race to finish to the accompaniment of rousing music.

The Nehru Trophy Boat Race Winning Trophy

The title Nehru Trophy Boat Race was assigned after Pt. JawaharLal Nehru. The Trophy named as Nehru Trophy earned its title from Panditji as it was donated by the late Prime Minister of India, to the winners of the first race which was an impromptu one conducted in Punnamada Lake in honour of Panditji who visited Alappuzha district in Kerala State in 1952. The trophy is a replica of a snake-boat in silver, placed on wooden abacus on which the following words of Panditji are inscribed above his signature.

This Snake Boat Race is an aquatic festival that fosters a sense of unity and fraternity and sports man spirit event and attaching foreign tourists also. The Myth goes that on Panditji’s way to Alleppey from Kottayam the people of Alleppey, escorted by the huge snake-boats, gave him a roaring reception. Having gone through the tremendous excitement of sailing in a snake-boat popularly known as Chundan, Jawaharlal Nehru donated a rolling trophy to be awarded to the winner.



tHE tHRILLS OF KERALA......


mORE tO watch .... sTAY tUNED...............,,