Onam- The Festival from God's own Country
Originally written for ciceroni With a country as diverse as India, there ought to be dozens of festivals that are celebrated across the country, be it marking the beginning of a season or a heroic victory of deity over the demons or maybe just a symbolic remembrance of the god. Onam , originally a harvest festival of Kerala, is now celebrated across the globe wherever Malayalees have settled. Ahmedabad too has a sizeable population of Malayalees. However, the only thing that we might know about their culture is our tryst with Dakshinayan Mysore Dosa and filter coffee or maybe thayeer sadam from Fern’s Dravida. So then what is Onam? What is the actual story behind these celebrations? During the reign of Asura King Mahabali, people of Kerala witnessed a golden era of prosperity and happiness. Mahabali’s love for his people was immense. His fame was widely spread amongst heaven and earth. He was so much loved by people that even the Gods felt a threat since he had conquered n...