Spice september 2016 issue ipad pdf

FESTIVALS ||||| ONAM
on his head and pushing him into the
netherworld. So pleased was vamana
with King Mahabali’s devotion that he
revealed his true identity as Lord Vishnu
and granted him a visit to earth once
every year. It is this annual visit of King
Mahabali that Kerala celebrates with
great fanfare as Onam.
Top: Women get together during Onam,
dance, make flower decorations in front of
their homes, and celebrate festivities
together. Below: Puli Kali or Play of the Tigers
is a performance by men made-up like
leopards, tigers and lions.
ruler, reigned over regions
of present-day Kerala,
bringing to it immense
peace and prosperity. Such
was the authority and
adoration he enjoyed that
even Lord Indra, God of
the Heavens, started
feeling insecure about his
own power and popularity,
and finally approached
Lord Vishnu
for help. Lord
Vishnu decided to visit King
Mahabali disguised as a
Brahmin vamana (dwarf),
and asked him for a boon
which the generous king
granted.
Vamana asked for land
which he could cover in just
three steps and upon King
Mahabali’s consent, swelled
exponentially, thereafter
covering earth with his first
step and heaven with his
second. Seeing that there
was no place left for vamana
to cover with his third step,
the king bowed down,
letting vamana place his foot
ONAM
OVERSEAS
With Malayalis
scattered in all
corners of the globe,
Onam becomes the
perfect occasion for
them to re-connect
with their roots.
Keralite associations
in numerous
places including
the USA, South
Africa, various
Gulf countries and
England plan grand
celebrations on the
day. Apart from the
religious rituals,
numerous cultural
programmes are
also organised for
all members of the
families.
CULTURE CURRY
When in Kerala, one can view traditional
performing arts such as Kathakali,
Mohiniattam, Thullal and Theyyam, and
martial arts like Kalaripayattu
throughout the year. But it is only during
Onam that one gets to see specific arts
and traditions. “The traditional
wrestling style, onathallu, or bare-fist
fighting, can be seen. Onathallu is
famous in the Palakkad district,
especially Pallassana in Chittur Taluk
and Vadakkencherry,” says Madhu S.
Kayarat, MD, Moon Days, a Kochi-based
major player in the travel and tourism
sector. Kayarat talks about onavillu, a
bow-shaped musical instrument crafted
exclusively for Onam and played as an
accompaniment to Onam songs. “The
onavillu can be seen at
various places in Kerala.
The best place for tourists
to see it is at the
Padmanabhaswamy
Temple,
Thiruvananthapuram, on
Thiruvonam day, which
falls on September 14 this
year, where it is offered to
the deity as part of Onam
rituals. A cultural
extravaganza called
athachamayam which
takes place at
Thripunithura, Kochi, is
also exclusive to Onam and
takes place on September 4,
which is atham in the
Malayali calendar, an
108 ||||| SEPTEMBER 2016