It is time for his next visit, our beloved King Mahabali. He is coming to see his people living in abundance and fortune. It is also the harvest festival of Kerala. When Mother Nature shower her blessings in the form of a good harvest, it’s obvious that happiness and prosperity fills in the air. It is the season for our farmers to relax and rejoice after a period of hard work. Onam brings many nostalgic memories to mind. The way we celebrated this harvest festival of ours, was unique in itself.
The message of oneness that penetrated the layers of our heart and soul, are still held prime. Soaked in the rich culture and heritage of Kerala, Onam is celebrated with much vigor and pride.
Now the question is ‘are we giving a chance to experience and share the same feel of Onam to our new generation’? Why is it that our elder generation often repeat to themselves that ‘this was not the way we celebrated Onam’. In this fast paced world, is ‘Time’ a factor which stops us? Or is because the comforts of today have made us so lazy that we don’t want to take effort for a celebration in its traditional way?
Setting traditional floral carpet, starting from day one of Onam (the atham day), demands to follow certain rules. The first day design has to be a simple one, with just one circle made of flowers from our courtyard. Red flowers are not allowed for first few days. The second day it grows into a design with two circles and it goes on. On the seventh day it should be square in shape, signifying certain astrological facts. Today, such aspects are seemed to be ignored for the sake of easy handling.
The real significance of celebrating a festival like Onam, with such a rich cultural background, is lost. The effect is seen everywhere, starting from the floral carpet which marks the beginning of the festival to the sumptuous feast which we have for lunch on the Thiruvonam day. Setting out in search of local flowers for the floral carpet got replaced by the flowers from the market. In the neighboring states of Kerala, flowers are cultivated on commercial basis with an eye on the demand during Onam season and it is flourishing year by year. On a positive note it is good that someone else is prospering on our account, but it is our traditional value that is getting affected.
On the tenth day, Thiruvonam, the celebration finds its zenith with lots of fun and flavor. The traditional feast signifies prosperity and a fruitful harvest. After the feast, ladies in the family perform Thiruvathira or Kaikottikali moving gracefully in a circle. Kids engage together with their own games. Traditional joint family culture got swapped by nuclear family concept. Still, everyone tried to have a get-together at the ancestral home during festivals. It was the season of meeting up with long lost dear ones. After the celebration all leave the place with a promise to themselves that next year they will be back. Now the tourism industry is offering such wonderful packages during Onam season that instead of going to the family gathering at ancestral home, we opt for the tour package during Onam holidays.
Globalization resulted in gaining importance for the commercial aspect of our festivals. Advertisements rule our mind. For the kids of this era, any festival is the season of shopping and so is Onam. Shopping festivals are arranged during Onam to attract not only the native customers, but also those who visit Kerala. It is the occasion of ‘Discounts’ and ‘Exchange Offers’ on almost all products, be it furniture, electronics, clothes and even consumables. ‘Onakkodi’ was the ritual of gifting new clothes by senior member of a family along with his blessings. Today it is part of the shopping spree. Festival greeting cards took the place of verbal wishes. A step further, now-a-days we don’t even write a message of our own, to wish the beloved ones during Onam. It’s so easy when a readymade message is forwarded via WhatsApp or Facebook. It’s so mechanical that the wish never comes from our heart. The human factor is missed somewhere. We can’t blame our new generation if they start thinking that our festivals as a time of ‘Offers’ rather than an opportunity to know our values.
Onam is now a global festivitydue to the presence of Keralites worldwide. Even though we have moved a lot from our traditional lifestyle, the expatriate Kerala community still finds it essential to celebrate our festivals in its traditional way. At least a day they try to impart the message of our culture to their kids.
Cultural associations arrange Onam celebrations which encompass the customary features as far as possible. They don’t limit themselves thinking that they are far away from their root.