7. Onam : The Festival of Flowers

By M. M. Divakaran

Onam, the annual festival of Keralites is celebrated on Thiru Onam day in the month of `Chingam'. The initial ceremony related to this festival commence on the day of Atham with `poovidel' (the floral decoration prepared on the front-yard in the early morning. This floral decoration is known as Pookkalam and on every day in the morning the previous pookkalam will be cleansed and then afresh pookkalam will be prepared. This ceremony is for 10 days i.e. from Atham to Thiru Onam). Mahabali, the Asura King, who reigned over the Malayala Nadu took care of all the needs of the people. There was neither corruption nor injustice during his reign; all his subjects enjoyed equal rights and led a happy life. This is reflected in a song: Maveli naadu vaneedum kalam/manusharellarum onnupole which means `During the reign of Mahabali/All the people were equal'.

The legend about Onam is related to one of the incarnations of Vishnu as Vamana. By performing the Ashwamedha Yagnas Mahabali (the grandson of Prahlada and the son of Virochan) was able to reach in the position of Indra - the King of Gods. Indra attacked Mahabali and in the war that followed the latter was defeated. Mahabali decided to retaliate. He performed Vishwajit Yagna, and attained enormous power and Indra was defeated. Thus Mahabali became the ruler of Devlok. Indra and his followers decamped from Devlok. Later, Mahabali came back to the Earth and proclaimed himself as the King of all the three worlds - Earth, Heaven and the Netherworld.

Aditi, Indra's mother, was very much worried. She thought it unfair that her son was dethroned by an Asura King. She expressed her grief to Kashyap, her husband. He advised her to observe 12 days' `Payovrut' (penance) to please Vishnu. She did so. Vishnu asked her what boon she would like to have. Aditi requested Vishnu to be born as her son thereafter her son should get his kingdom back. Vishnu agreed.

Vishnu was born as Aditi's son in the `Abhijit Muhruth' (an auspicious time before noon) on Thiru Onam day in the month of Chingam. On this auspicious occasion all the planets placed themesleves in Subha Rassi. At that time all Gods and Goddesses witnessed there and blessed him. As soon as the child was born he was transfigured as a dwarf saint. So Kashyap named the child Vamana which means a dwarf person.

During that time, Mahabali was performing an `Ashwamedha Yagna' on the banks of Narmada river. Vamana came there and asked `three-foot earth' as daan (charity) in order to do the tapas. As Mahabali agreed, Vamana suddenly grew into gigantic dimensions and measured all three worlds by two feet. Respecting his own promise, Mahabali showed his head to measure the third foot. Vamana pushed Mahabili down to the abyss. However, Mahabali wrested one promise from Vishnu that he be allowed to visit his subjects on Thiru Onam day in the month of Chingam every year. Keralites celebrate this day as Onam. Finally Indra got back his kingdom and Vamana went to the banks of Gomati river; did his penance later he merged into Vishnu.

Legends contradict each other. Another mythology claims that Kerala was created by Parasu Ram, the son of Jamadagni and Renuka, who was the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. During that time the land from `Kanyakumari' to `Gokarnam' were lying under the sea. Parasu Ram spinned out his axe into the sea and the sea from Kanyakumari to Gokarnam retreated itself giving birth to the land of Kerala. Vamana was the fifth incarnation of Vishnu and Parasu Ram the sixth. Kerala was non-existent during Vishnu's incarnation as Vamana.

Then what would be the reality of Onam? Onam has its roots in the past feudal social structure of Kerala. The "lower caste" people were bonded labourers under the land owners and "higher caste" people. The lower caste people used to work in the landlords farms from dawn to dusk. Their earnings were very low and so were their freedom. They lived in a slave-like situation.

Every festival has its own specific rituals. Onam has also its rituals which are deep rooted in the landlord-tenant relations. Some sympathetic landlords thought it is very necessary to give some respite to their tenants and the bonded labourers who worked slavingly for them round the year. It is but natural that a class of people who found themselves permanently in misery were highly grateful to any small gesture of sympathy, they highly appreciated it when the landlords granted them a few holidays. These holidays were in the post harvest season specially chosen on the day of Thiru Onam in the month of Chingam. The landlords gave their bonded labourers new clothes known as `Onakkodi'. The labourers in turn used to give gifts to their landlords. Those gifts were basically vegetables grown in the backyard of their hutments known as Onakkazchakal.

However, Keralites strongly believe in the legend of Vamana and Mahabali. Mahabali is warm welcomed during the Onam festival by performing different types of games and arts, special folksongs, dance in particular thiruvathirakali and conducting snake-boat (chundan vallam) race, etc. Most of these games and songs carry themes of landlord-bounded labourers relations. In the olden days the Onam was celebrated for 10 days but people now celebrate it for maximum 5 days. Onasadhya (lunch with different variety of delicious foods) is the main item on the day of Onam. This food items include Choru (cooked rice), different variety of curry such as parippu (dhal), pappad, sambar, aviyal, thoran, erissery (a curry made by peas and pumpkin without any sour ingredients), pickles, rasam, different type of chips including banana chip and payasam (sweet broth made of milk, jaggery, rice or dhal). A special payasam known as `adapradhaman’ is made by an additional ingredient of ada (a kind of flour-cake). On the day of Onam people wear Onakkodi (new clothes).

It is believed that `Nammazhwar' a devotee of Vishnu who authored `Thiruvaai Mozhi' had visited `Thrikkakkara Vamana Temple' in Kerala in A. D. 800. Also a record shows that some land has been gifted in favour of this temple to celebrate Onam. (T.A.S. Vol. II, P:85). It has been written in a `Thamra Saasanam' (edict on copper) of `Sthaanu Ravi' in A.D. 861 about `Aavani Onam'.

There are evidences that Onam had been celebrated in Tamil Nadu till A.D. 1000. Maamkkudi Maruthanaar, in his book `Madhuraikkanchi' (A.D. 400), has written in detail that Onam had been celebrated in Tamil Nadu, too, for 7 days remembering the story of Vamana and Mahabali. Periyazhwar (A.D. 900) has mentioned about Onam festival in the song of `Thirupallandu'.

It is also noticeable that the poor people attach more importance to Onam than done by the rich. They dream to have a good ruler like Mahabali. Will they get another Mahabali to vanish their grief? Never! However Onam will be celebrated every year as symbol of harmony, love, friendship and probity among the people of Malayala Nadu.
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