Onam Festival 2020 Interesting Facts: Onam – Date, Celebration, History, Relevance, Songs
Onam is a celebration of prosperity and abundance for the Malayalees. Stepping into the golden lunar month brings with it the hopes of a new year of abundance and prosperity, and the anticipation of the Athappookkalam and Onam celebrations begins.
Onam 2020 Date: When is this year’s Onam?
This year’s Onam is on August 30, 31 and September 1 and 2. Uthradam or First Onam on August 30, Thiruvonam or Second Onam on August 31, Avittam or Third Onam on September 1, Chatayam or Fourth Onam on September 2.
Onam: Behind the name
Shravanam is the time when people resume trade after the winter and the rainy season. Savanam is another name for Shravanam. It is believed that the name was dropped and later changed to Onam.
Onam Significance, Mahabali Legend
Onam legends
Mahabali
Legend has it that King Mahabali, a devout king who trampled Vamana down to the underworld, came to see his people. Although there are many legends about Onam, Onam in Kerala is also a festival of harvest and their trade.
Parasurama
There is another legend associated with the story of Parasurama about Onam. Parasurama, who liberated the Kerala temple from Varuna and gave alms to the Brahmins, quarrels with them. Following the request of the pardoned Brahmins, he is promised to perform at Thrikkakara once a year. There is also the concept of Onam on this day.
Lord Buddha
Buddhists believe that Prince Siddhartha entered the Shravanapadam after enlightenment on the day of Thiruvonam in the month of Shravanam. They claim that Onam was a celebration reminiscent of the then Shravanapada reception in Kerala, which was dominated by Buddhism. Onam is a strong proof of this.
Cheraman Perumal
Logan, the lord of the Malabar Manual, has associated the Onam celebration with Cheramanperumal. According to Logan, Perumal converted to Islam and went to Mecca on the day of Thiruvonam in the month of Chingam.
Samudragupta-Mantharaja
AD Thrikkakara was the capital of Kerala in the 4th century. Some believe that this may be a historical fact as there is evidence in the Allahabad inscriptions that Onam was celebrated by the then ruling Manna king of the place. The Manthata recorded in it was the famous King of Kerala. According to the inscriptions, Samudragupta invaded Thrikkakkara in the invasion of South India, but Samudragupta, impressed by the defense and prowess of the Mantharaja, begged for peace and then issued a proclamation to the king to celebrate Onam as a political festival to commemorate the victory of the war at the glorious end of Kerala.
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Athachamayam, Athapookalam: Onam Celebrations
Onam Celebrations: Ten days from Atham
Onam celebrations, which start from Atham Nakshatra in the month of Chingam, are celebrated on Thiruvonam day and last till Chatayam day. Thrikkakara is considered to be the headquarters of Onathappan. Legend has it that the Athappookkalam was prepared to wake up Thrikkakarayappan.
Athappookkalam is prepared in the backyard during the ten days from the last day of the month of Chingam to Thiruvonam. Athappookkalam is prepared from the last day of the month of Chingam. On the days of Atham, Chithira and Chothi, only the stalks adorn the dung-soaked ground. In later days different types of flowers are used. On the first day, only one row of flowers is allowed. Do not flower red. The size of the cell increases each day, with two flowers on the second day and three flowers on the third day. The chrysanthemum flower has a place in the flower bed only from the spring. But in some places the flower bed is prepared with ten colored flowers on the tenth day starting from one color flower. The flower bed is prepared in maximum size on the day of Uttara. Due to this, the flower bed should be arranged in a rectangular shape.
Ceremonies on the day of Thiruvonam
Welcoming Emperor Mahabali at the Thrikkakara Temple is very important during the Thiruvonam ceremonies. Legend has it that ‘Thrikkalkara’ originated in the sense of the land where Vamana’s feet landed. Thrikkakara is the only temple dedicated to the dwarf deity in the capital of ancient Kerala.
The ceremony of buying new clothes (crore clothes) for children and adults on the occasion of Onam is seen all over Kerala. Ona Mundu is the name given to a small piece of cloth bought for children to wear. It is usually solitary on the handloom with the cassava.
Thrikkakarayappan
In the southern parts of Thrissur district, it is customary to prepare Thrikkakarayappan on Thiruvonadivasam. This event starts on the day of Uthradam in Palakkad areas. Thrikkakarayappan is prepared in the backyard or in the yard to welcome Mahabali. The kolam is drawn with arima and clay figures (Thrikkakkarayappan) are placed on top of it. It is also known as Onam.
Onam view
Onakkazha submission was a compulsory payment to be made by the tenant tenant as per the agreement with the landlord. From time immemorial, bananas have been the main attraction. It was the best bunch in the bunch. The landlords had given Onakkodi, satchels and sadya to the tenants on display. It is still going on today as a reminder of the good old days of the tenant-landlord relationship. But today, the offerings are made to the temples. The Guruvayoor Temple is famous for its visual offerings.
In the Uttarapachchi
Uthradapachil is the journey of the Malayalees to buy the necessary items for the next day’s Onam celebrations (the day before Thiruvonam) to prepare for the final round of Onam celebrations. Uthra Day is the day when Malayalees buy everything they need for Onam.
Onasadya
The main attraction of Onam is the Onam feast. Kalan, Olan and Erisseri are the main dishes of Onasadya. Avial and Sampar came later. The four groups are salted: mango, lemon, lemongrass and ginger curd. The pappadam will be medium. 10 multipliers, 12 multipliers and so on. There are four types of pickles – Chena, Beans, Eggplant, Pavka and Jaggery Puratti. In addition to fruit, fruit, cheese and pratham are also available. Onam should be on the tongue too. The leaves should be placed on the side of the tongue. Top pickle on the left, jaggery pickle on the bottom right, pappadam on the left, kalan, olan, erisseri on the right, rice in the middle, and salted in the middle. In Central Travancore, pulses are first served. In addition to sambar, prathaman and kalan, pachamor is mandatory. Here, tapioca is also fried for Onam. Other dishes include sesame seeds and rice. Kuttanad: Onam used to be celebrated for seven days from the time of Uttaram. Pulisseri, Mor, Thoran and Sambar were the special dishes.
Onam songs
Onam is a time when a lot of flowers and toys are presented to Malayalam. These have been sung from time to time and are being passed down orally for generations. An Onam song that evokes the legend of Onam.
‘Maveli will
rule the country for a long time, a time when all human
beings will live happily, there will be no accidents, no diseases, no child deaths.
There is no lying, no
cheating, no lying, no lying, no lying, no lying. ‘
Onam words
There are many sayings related to Onam all over Kerala. These sayings, which are part of the daily life of the Malayalee, such as ‘Kanam Vittum Onam Unnanam’ and ‘Onam is like having,’ are also indicative of the importance of Onam.