ONAM KERALA FESTIVEL(MY ONAM CELEBRATION WITH FRIENDS)

HISTORY OF ONAM. . The legend of King Mahabali is the most popular and the most fascinating of all legends behind Onam. Onam celebrates the visit of King Mahabali to the state of Kerala every year. The festival is celebrated with fervour as King Mahabali is greatly respected by his subjects. King Mahabali is also popularly called Maveli and Onathappan.
KING MAHABALI
The story goes that the beautiful state of Kerala was once ruled by an Asura (demon) king, Mahabali. The King was greatly respected in his kingdom and was considered to be wise, judicious and extremely generous. It is said that Kerala witnessed its golden era in the reign of King Mahabali. Everybody was happy in the kingdom, there was no discrimination on the basis of caste or class. Rich and poor were equally treated. There was neither crime, nor corruption. People did not even lock their doors, as there were no thieves in that kingdom. There was no poverty, sorrow or disease in the reign of King Mahabali and everybody was happy and content. . It may be noted Mahabali was the son of Veerochana and grandson of Prahlad, the devout son of demon King Hiranyakashyap. Mahabali had a son called Bana, who became a legendary king in his own right and became popular as Banraj in central Assam. Mahabali belonged to the Asura (demon) dynasty but was an ardent worshiper of Lord Vishnu. His bravery and strength of character earned him the title of "Mahabali Chakravathy" or Mahabali - the King of Kings.
Challenge for Gods.
Looking at the growing popularity and fame of King Mahabali Gods became extremely concerned and jealous. They felt threatened about their own supremacy and began to think of a strategy to get rid of the dilemma. To curb the growing reign of Mahabali and maintain their own supremacy, Aditi, the mother of Gods seeked help of Lord Vishnu (the preserver in the Hindu trinity) whom Mahabali worshiped. It was said Mahabali was very generous and charitable. Whenever anybody approached him for help or requested for anything he always granted. To test the King, Lord Vishnu disguised himself as a dwarf and a poor Brahmin called Vamana. He came to the Kingdom of Mahabali, just after Mahabali performed his morning prayers preparing to grant boons to Brahmins. .
Lord Vishnu takes Vamana Avatar. Disguised as Vamana, Vishnu said he was a poor Brahmin and asked for a piece of land. The generous King said, he could have as much land as he wanted. The Brahmin said that he just wanted as much land as could be covered by his three steps. The King was surprised to hear but agreed.

A learned adviser of the King, Shukracharya sensed th at Vamana was not an ordinary person and warned the King against making the promise. But, the generous King replied that it would be a sin for a King to back on his words and asked the Brahmin to take the land. The King could not imagine that the dwarf Brahmin was Lord Vishnu himself. Just as King Mahabali agreed to grant the land, Vamana began to expand and eventually increased himself to the size of cosmic proportions. With his first step the Brahmin boy covered the whole of earth and with the other step he covered the whole of the skies. He then asked King Mahabali where is the space for him to keep his third foot.

The King realised that he was no ordinary Brahmin and his third step will destroy the earth. Mahabali with folded hands bowed before Vamana and asked him to place his last step on his head so that he could keep the promise. The Brahmin placed his foot on the head of the King, which pushed him to patala, the nether world. There the King requested the Brahmin to reveal his true identity. Lord Vishnu then appeared before the King in his person. The Lord told the King that he came to test him and the King won the test. King Mahabali was pleased to see his lord. Lord Vishnu also granted a boon to the King.

King Mahabali Requests for a Visit to Kerala

The King was so much attached with his Kingdom and people that he requested that he be allowed to visit Kerala once in a year. Lord Vishnu was moved by the Kings nobility and was pleased to grant the wish. He also blessed the King and said even after losing all his worldly possessions, the King would always be loved by Lord Vishnu and his people.

Genesis of Onam

It is the day of the visit of King Mahabali to Kerala that is celebrated as Onam every year. The festival is celebrated as a tribute to the sacrifice of King Mahabali. Every year people make elaborate preparations to welcome their King whom they affectionately call Onathappan. They wish to please the spirit of their King by depicting that his people are happy and wish him well. The second day, Thiruvonam is the biggest and the most important day of this festival. It is believed that King Mahabali visits his people on the second day.

Onam celebrations are marked in Trikkakara, a place 10 km from Kochi (Cochin) on the Edapally- Pookattupadi road. Trikkara is said to be the capital of the mighty King Mahabali. A temple with a deity of 'Trikkakara Appan' or 'Vamanamurthy' who is Lord Vishnu himself in disguise is also located at this place. Nowhere else in Kerala can one find a deity of 'Vamanamurthy'. This fascinating legend is artistically depicted at the Suchindram Temple in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. MY ONAM CELEBRATION WITH FRIENDS(PHOTOS). Pookalam : Onam is celebrated worldwide with great pomp and show by malayalis.You can find beautiful onam pookalam designs for 10 days in every house. Varieties of flowers in different colours are used to create beautiful pookalam designs.The arrangement of flowers in a specific pattern which form beautiful designs are called as Pookalams. All the onam pookalam designs are unique and beautiful. .
ONAM SADYA.(with my friends). The most important part of thiruvonam is the Thiruona Sadya. Sadhya is a vegetarian feast or banquet that is served during onam, vishu, family get together and weddings (Kalyana Sadhya). The multi course meal is served traditionally in banana leaf. The sadya has steamed Kerala matta rice (Rosematta rice or Red parboiled rice) as the main ingredient served with many side dishes, 10 or more. This includes some classic vegetable preparations, pickles, fried sides, etc. There are atleast 3-4 curries served , one after the other. The meal ends with an array of sweet payasams. The preparation for the onasadhya begins few days before the actual feast. The pickles are prepared first before 1 week, followed by the fried snacks prepared before 2-3 days. The day before the sadhya, all vegetables are bought, ingredients for the pradhamans are all set out. Usually, sadhya is made by a group of people who all work together to chop the vegetables and prepare the dishes. For nuclear family setup, vegetables can be chopped and refrigerated the previous day. Overall, it is large meal making it a memorable experience..
Pulikali Pulikali (puli means leopard and kali means play) is a dance performed by men adorning the costume of leopard. It is performed in different parts of Kerala during the festival of Onam. Yet, the one that is performed in Thrissur district is quite old. From children to elderly people take part in Pulikali. The performer will be wearing masks of leopard face and body painted in black and yellow. Leopard faces are also drawn on bellies.

The group comprises predominantly male leopards with few female and child leopards. Since wearing masks, there is no significance for facial expressions. Men with potbellies shake it and dance, which is real fun to watch.