ONAM

Onam is a festival that is hugely important within Kerala and is on a par with Christmas in the UK. We are looking forward to its start which this year is on Monday 4th September.

Ladies creating a Pookalam flower mat

The Onam Festival is celebrated at the beginning of the first month of the Malayalam Calendar and corresponds to August-September in the Gregorian Calendar. It is a ten day carnival that celebrates the legend of King Mahabali and dates back to 800 AD.

People believe that it was on the day of Onam that Lord Vishnu appeared in the kingdom of King Mahabali and sent him to the nether world. According to legend it is on the last day of Onam that the spirit of the King visits Kerala, hence the day is marked by feast and festivities. To welcome their revered ruler, people lay flower mats (Pookalam) in the front courtyard, prepare a grand meal (Onasadya), dance, play and make merry. All this is done to impress upon the King that his people are prosperous and happy.

As it is a harvest season, the beautiful state of Kerala can be seen at its magnificent best. Weather is pleasantly sunny and warm calling for mirth and celebrations. Fields look brilliant and it is a boom time of fruits and flowers. Farmers are happy with a bountiful harvest and celebrate the festival to the hilt.

Onam is the biggest festival of Kerala. But, there is a lot more to Onam than being just a festival. Onam reflects the faith of the people of Kerala. A belief in their legendary past, religion and power of worship. It shows the high spirit of the people who go out of their way to celebrate the festival in the prescribed manner and in a grand fashion.

Children eagerly wait for the arrival of the carnival as it is time for them to get new clothes, toys and everything else they asked for or thought of. Numerous uncles, aunts and grandmas grace their wishes with delight. It is also a time for homecoming for people staying away from the families. Their arrival multiplies the joy of the festival.

The beauty of the festival lies in its secular fabric. People of all religions, castes and communities celebrate the festival with equal joy and verve. The government of India too celebrates Onam as the National Festival of Kerala.

Onam also helps to create an atmosphere of peace and brotherhood by way of various team sports. Cultural programmes and social gatherings are organised by various cultural societies all over the state. Among the spectacle elephants adorned with gold plates on their forehead with umbrellas on top can be seen as well as women who dress in their traditional gold bordered off-white mundu and neriyathu to perform very elegant folk dances.

Onam is certainly a passion for the people of Kerala. There are set rituals for each day and the traditional people of Kerala dutifully follow them. Of all these days the first day Atham and the tenth day Thiruvonam are the most significant ones. The mood of the people is upbeat all through the carnival and the high spirited people of Kerala are ever ready to indulge in merriment.

Onam Day One ATHAM

Atham is the first day of festivities and is regarded as holy and auspicious by the traditional people of Kerala. To complete the rituals of Atham people take early baths and offer prayers. There is a set breakfast for Atham consisting of steamed bananas and fried pappadam. This breakfast remains the same till the tenth and the last day. A swing decked with flowers is also slung from a high branch and youngsters take great delight in swinging and singing Onam songs.

The major highlight of Atham is that people start making pookalam from this day. This is an intricate floral mat laid in the front courtyard of the house to welcome King Mahabali. In subsequent days more flowers and new designs are added requiring a great deal of thought and creativity. As a result the Pookalam increases in diameter each day.

Onam Day Two CHITHIRA

There are no marked rituals for this day but people offer their prayers to evoke divine blessings. Planning and intense discussions for the big day of Onam begins from this day and long shopping lists prepared.

Onam Day Three CHODHI

There are no set rituals for Chothi. This day is marked by buzz and lot of activities as frenzied shopping for new clothes and accessories takes place. Gifts are procured for everyone in the house including servants.

Onam Day Four VISAKAM

Brisk activities in the market and households can be witnessed on the day of Visakam. Women who are to prepare the elaborate meal of Onasadya on the last day start making the various types of pickles and pappadams (papad) besides various other things.

Onam Day Five ANIZHAM

The high point of the day is the grand Snake Boat Race that happens on the banks of the River Pamba providing a very colourful spectacle. Within the homes women become extremely busy making preparations for Thiru Onam and a general atmosphere of excitement prevails across Kerala.

Onam Day Six THRIKETA

There are no set rituals marked for the day of Triketta. It marks the time for home coming for people staying away from their families for various reasons; Onam is the time for family get together and nobody likes to be away from family and dear ones.

Onam Day Seven MOOLAM

With just two days left for the festival there is hustle and bustle everywhere as people do their last bits of shopping. There is a spirit of joy and happiness as the year long wait is soon to be over and there will be celebrations all around.

Onam Day Eight POORADAM

The day holds significance in Onam festivities as devotees create clay idols in the shape of small pyramids each decorated with flowers. As well as last minute shopping, massive house cleaning starts as people ensure that everything looks neat and tidy for when the King arrives. People also visit friends and relatives and exchange warm greetings of the festive occasion.

Onam Day Nine UTHRADAM

On the penultimate day of Onam there is jubilation as people prepare to welcome the spirit of King Mahabali. Houses are cleaned up on this day and people get charged up to participate in the events to take place on the following day. The Pookalam is given a nice design with new and special flowers on this day.

Onam Day Ten THIRUVONAM

People believe that it is on this day that the spirit of legendary King Mahabali visits the state of Kerala so the state reverberates to the chants of Onaashmsakal, "To everyone, Onam Wishes". Activities begin early in the morning. People clean their house, take early baths, wear new clothes and participate in special prayers.

At noon the grand feast of Onam called Onam Sadya is prepared. The strictly vegetarian meal consists of 11 - 13 mandatory dishes served on a banana leaf. The meal is served in a creative way as people of Kerala have set rules of placing the different coloured food at a specific place on the banana leaf. People sit in rows on a mat laid on the floor to have the strictly vegetarian meal. The eldest member of the family presents gifts and new clothes to the family members.

Various cultural events are organised all over the state to mark the day. Dances, games, shows and get together are the other highlights of the day. Fire crackers are also burnt to celebrate the occasion.

Edited with thanks to the Society for the Confluence of Festivals in India.

ALCOHOL IN KERALA

No one disputes that there is a problem with alcohol abuse amongst many Indian men, and Kerala is no different. The state has a high per capita consumption of alcohol which at 8.3 litres, is double the national average of 4 litres. Where there is disagreement is over political solutions.

In 2014 the previous Congress led administration introduced a near-complete ban on alcohol envisioning a complete ban by 2025. In pursuit of this only five-star hotels were granted hard liquor licenses and beer and wine could only be sold in dedicated ‘parlours’. Hundreds of bars were forced to close, including bars in 5 star hotels within 500m of a highway. Alcohol could still be sold for private consumption at one of the 338 state owned Kerala State Beverages Corporation (KSBC) shops, but that 10% of these would be closed every year.

 Since the new LDF government was elected in 2017 it has announced that Kerala is returning to the old days and reversing the prohibition. It will allow three-star and four-star hotels to run bars, while two-star hotels can run beer/wine parlours. Under the new rules, alcohol can be sold at airports, toddy can be served at hotels and there will be relief for bars and hotels affected by the 500 metre ruling. The minimum drinking age has been raised from 21 to 23. Toddy, a locally produced mildly alcoholic palm wine made from the sap of palm tree, will continue to be legally sold, and toddy shops will be permitted to operate as earlier.

The reasoning for the change in policy is essentially economic with the loss of tourism and jobs but evidence indicates drug consumption increased as did bootlegging.

So alcohol does continue to be available but not on ‘dry days’. These are specific days when the sale of alcohol is prohibited. They are fixed by state governments and most observe dry days on major religious festivals/occasions and national holidays. In Kerala the first day of each month is a dry day.

Normal hotel bar with Shajoo and Biju

We are all, I assume, familiar with bars in hotels as convivial well-lit spaces where all genders can buy and enjoy a drink. In contrast the beer and wine parlours I have visited are less inviting. Essentially they are dedicated drinking dens for men only, often dimly lit, and more redolent of dockside bars of the 1950s and 1960s. Most do not sell alcohol for taking out meaning purchasing for home consumption has to be made at KSBC shops.

KSBC shops can equally be uninviting. The standard counter where the cheaper locally produced bottles are sold involves queuing to get to a metal screen through which orders are placed, money paid and bottles handed back. At certain times of day scores of men jostle to get their fix.

Queuing for alcohol



High security counter

 In contrast many shops have a premium room where imported bottles are sold. These tend to be less crowded due to the higher prices and are self-service so altogether far more convivial. However anyone expecting brands available in Europe will be disappointed. Wines are Indian made in other states and spirits are Indian blends.

Premium sales room

 Despite the plethora of rules and the effort required to get a drink there is still nothing better than a cold beer on a hot and humid Keralan day. Cheers!

SNAKE BOAT RACING

Snake Boat races are held in many places in Kerala, The festival held every year on the backwaters in Alappuzha just before the Onam festival in August or September is the best known with teams competing for the prestigious Nehru Trophy.

The Snake Boats or Chundan Vallams are 110 feet long, 5 feet wide and seat up to 100 rowers in two rows along their length. The boats float low in the water and have a long curving stern. The prow is pointed and may have a decorative knob at the end. The prow rides low in the water with the length of the Snake Boat extending behind it. Apart from rowers, each boat carries a cox and leaders who maintain the rhythm of rowing through chants, songs and exclamations, all precariously perched at the stern which rises 10 feet above the water level.

Sadly we left it too late to go to see the races this year but next year ....

 

THE BACKWATERS

The Kerala Backwaters are the most amazing patchwork of lakes, rivers and canals between which are massive paddy fields of rice. Between the waters and the fields are wide palm tree lined banks where people carry on a simple way of life. They are a 'must visit' place for tourists who can enjoy the tranquil surroundings on a house boat - a converted rice barge covered by a wicker cladding. Alternatively you can hire a Shakira boat which is much smaller as we did before visiting the beach at Alappuzha. This is huge with what appears to be golden sands until you tread in it with wet feet at which point they turns black! Here are a few photos from our day.