Hi,
A happy and prosperous onam to all dear PPers .
FYI, Onam is a harvest festival celebrated by the Malayalam speaking people of the small Indian state of kerala , in the south western tip of India and by the almost 40 million strong Malayali/Keralite community worldwide.
By mythology , Kerala used to be ruled by a certain Asura (demon) king called Mahabali / Maveli . He , though an Asura was a devotee of Shiva and a very just and honorable king. Jealous of the popularity of a kingdom on earth the devas(lords of Heaven) beg the hindu god vishnu to help them bring back the exclusivity of Heaven as the most prosperous place.
So vishnu takes the incarnation / avatar of Vamana a short brahmin and reaches Mahabali, where he tricks mahabali into giving up his kingdom and going into exile.
Vishnu though, allows Mahabali to return every year for one day, to see his old subjects.
So every year, malayali homes across the state, beautify their houses, wear their best clothes and decorate the paths to their houses with flowers hoping that when Mahabali comes he'd personally visit their houses and bless them.
One of the great success of Onam is that it has successfully cut across caste / religious lines in the state over centuries. The existence of Christian & Muslim communities for over 1000-1400 years and the fact that onam happens during the first harvest after the very strong Indian monsoon here, meant that it is a general time of happiness and prosperity for everyone.
The Muslims & Christian stay out of the more 'religious' onam rituals. But they all partake in the Onam feast, traditional dresses, onam folk songs dances etc etc . Many christians put "pookkalam" (flower rangoli) out their houses too. The muslim Bakrid comes within a week before or after onam, so traditionally both festivals are celebrated in conjunction in the public sphere and is a grand period for festival sales and business.
The real success of Onam IMHO is that whenever it is celebrated in the public space (schools, colleges, offices or outside events) all the communities participate. The festival has been successfully integrated into all communities over centuries.
[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION], [MENTION=133135]kaayal[/MENTION], [MENTION=130700]TM Riddle[/MENTION], [MENTION=140104]Hornbill[/MENTION], [MENTION=136588]CricketCartoons[/MENTION], [MENTION=137142]JaDed[/MENTION], [MENTION=132715]Varun[/MENTION], [MENTION=141093]big_gamer007[/MENTION], [MENTION=136571]akki[/MENTION], [MENTION=141520]troodon[/MENTION], [MENTION=113824]Nikhil_cric[/MENTION] [MENTION=428]Romali_rotti[/MENTION] [MENTION=5318]alexjohn_tcr[/MENTION]
A happy and prosperous onam to all dear PPers .
FYI, Onam is a harvest festival celebrated by the Malayalam speaking people of the small Indian state of kerala , in the south western tip of India and by the almost 40 million strong Malayali/Keralite community worldwide.
By mythology , Kerala used to be ruled by a certain Asura (demon) king called Mahabali / Maveli . He , though an Asura was a devotee of Shiva and a very just and honorable king. Jealous of the popularity of a kingdom on earth the devas(lords of Heaven) beg the hindu god vishnu to help them bring back the exclusivity of Heaven as the most prosperous place.
So vishnu takes the incarnation / avatar of Vamana a short brahmin and reaches Mahabali, where he tricks mahabali into giving up his kingdom and going into exile.
Vishnu though, allows Mahabali to return every year for one day, to see his old subjects.
So every year, malayali homes across the state, beautify their houses, wear their best clothes and decorate the paths to their houses with flowers hoping that when Mahabali comes he'd personally visit their houses and bless them.
One of the great success of Onam is that it has successfully cut across caste / religious lines in the state over centuries. The existence of Christian & Muslim communities for over 1000-1400 years and the fact that onam happens during the first harvest after the very strong Indian monsoon here, meant that it is a general time of happiness and prosperity for everyone.
The Muslims & Christian stay out of the more 'religious' onam rituals. But they all partake in the Onam feast, traditional dresses, onam folk songs dances etc etc . Many christians put "pookkalam" (flower rangoli) out their houses too. The muslim Bakrid comes within a week before or after onam, so traditionally both festivals are celebrated in conjunction in the public sphere and is a grand period for festival sales and business.
The real success of Onam IMHO is that whenever it is celebrated in the public space (schools, colleges, offices or outside events) all the communities participate. The festival has been successfully integrated into all communities over centuries.
[MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION], [MENTION=133135]kaayal[/MENTION], [MENTION=130700]TM Riddle[/MENTION], [MENTION=140104]Hornbill[/MENTION], [MENTION=136588]CricketCartoons[/MENTION], [MENTION=137142]JaDed[/MENTION], [MENTION=132715]Varun[/MENTION], [MENTION=141093]big_gamer007[/MENTION], [MENTION=136571]akki[/MENTION], [MENTION=141520]troodon[/MENTION], [MENTION=113824]Nikhil_cric[/MENTION] [MENTION=428]Romali_rotti[/MENTION] [MENTION=5318]alexjohn_tcr[/MENTION]
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