Traditional dance forms including Thiru-

vathira, Kummattikali, Pulikali, Thumbing

Thullal, Onam Kali and others. Thiruvathira
Kali is a women's dance performed in a cir-
ONAM
cle around a lamp. Kummattikali is a col-
ourful-mask dance. In Thrissur, festivities
include a procession consisting of capari-
soned elephants surrounded by Kummati- O N A M H A RV EST F EST I VA L
kali dancers. The masked dancers go from
house to house performing the colorful
Kummattikali. Onam Kali is a form of dance Onam is an Thiruvonam in val is cele-
Newsletter Date
where players arrange themselves in cir- annual Har- the Malayalam brated to
cles around a pole or tree or lamp, then vest festival calendar month commemo-
x

dance and sing songs derived from the in the state of Chingam, rate King
Ramayana and other epics. of Kerala in which in Gregor- Mahabali.
India and is ian calendar
associated overlaps with
with Hindu- August–
P u l i ka l i : t i ge r d a n c e ism. It falls September. Ac-
on the 22nd cording to leg-
nakshatra ends, the festi-
The Vallamkali (the snake-shaped boats. Men tional snake boat
According to
snake boat race) is and women come from race, a similar snake great-grandson of lika fame in Hin-
another event that is far and near to watch and boat race is also held the Hindu my-
demonic dictator, duism, who was
synonymous with cheer the snake boat race .by the Malayali dias- thology, Ma-
Hiranyakashipu, the son of Hiran-
Onam. Well-known through the water. This pora in Singapore an- habali was
and the grandson yakashipu. Prah-
races include the event is particularly fea- nually during Onam the great-
of Vishnu devotee lada, despite be-
Aranmula Uthrat- tured on the Pampa River, at the Jurong Lake. great-
Prahlada. This links ing born to a de-
tadhi Boat Race and considered sacred and grandson of a
the Nehru Trophy Kerala equivalent of the festival to the monic Asura fa-
Brahmin sage
Boat Race. Numerous Ganges River. Puranic mythology ther who hated
named Ka-
oarsmen row huge of Prahlada of Ho- Vishnu, rebelled
As a tribute to the tradi- shyapa, the
 Page 3
Page 2 ONAM
punithura Athachamayam. The parade features
PARASURAM LEGEND The Onam celebra-
elephants marching, drum beats and other mu-
tions across the
sic,
state, starts off with
An alternate leg- credited in Hindu ala, Karnataka, a grand procession at
end behind mythology to have Goa and up to Thrippunithura near
Onam relates to created the Western Maharashtra. Kochi called
Parashurama, an Ghats from the Atthachamayam, also
referred to as Thri-
incarnation of southern tip of Ker-
This story can fit 100-
Vishnu who is 150 words.
Onam is a alongside Hindus". The
The subject matter
festival is celebrated in make predictions for The
withfloral
onlycarpet, known
one circular
"popular major that appears in news-
Kerala churches by your customers or
Hindu festival in letters is virtually layer
as made and the
Onapookkalam de-
or just
clients. ures or earnings will
Kerala", states Christians, with local endless. You can in- sign is keptissimple.
Pookkalam, made out
If the newsletter is show how your busi-
Christine Frost, but rituals, according to clude stories that fo- Statues
of thenessor figurines
gathered blossomsof
distributed inter- is growing.
Selvister Ponnu- cus on current tech- Mahabali and Vamana
one that is also nally, you might with several varieties
Some newsletters ofin-
muthan. These tradi- nologies or innova-
celebrated by Or- comment upon new are also
flowers ofinstalled
clude differing atthat
a columntints
tions in your field.
thodox Christians tions, according to Sel- procedures or im- the entrance
pinched up intoof
is updated eachis-
every
little
vister Ponnumuthan,. You may also want to
with "much zest provements to the house
pieces toon
sue, this
for day.
instance,
design and an
note business or eco- [citation needed]
business. Sales fig- advice column,
nomic trends, or decorate patterns ona
C E L E B R AT I O N S ,V I T UA L S A N D P R AC T I C ES book review, a letter
relatively small in floor, particularly at
from the president,
Onam falls in the Malayalam New Year, Vishakam, Aniz- The traditional ritual size. The size of the entrances and temple
of laying pookkalam pookkalam grows in premises like a flower
month of Chingam, are spread over ten ham, Thriketa,
(floral carpet) starts size progressively
which is the first days, and conclude Moolam, with each day of the mat. Lamps are arranged
on Atham day. The
month according to with Thiruvonam. The Pooradam, Onam festival. Only in the middle or edges. It
pookkalam on this
the Malayalam Cal- ten days are sequen- Uthradam and Thi- yellow flowers will is a work of religious art,
day is called
endar. The celebra- tially known as Atham, ruvonam. be used on Atham.
Athapoo, and it is typically the team
tions mark the Chithira, Chodhi,