Onam 2024: From vibrant Pookalams to grand Onasadhya, And New Age Celebrations

Story of Mahabali

Though a demon, Mahabali the grandson of Bhakt Prahalad, was a kind, generous, charitable and benevolent king. His glorious rule was adored by his subjects. His severe, pious and intense rituals made the Gods insecure. They implored to Lord Vishnu to stop Mahabali from becoming more powerful. Vishnu approached the asura king as a diminutive, dwarf-like boy. On being enquired by Bali what gift was desired by the brahmin, Vamana asked for land covered by his three steps. Bali granted his wish. Astonishingly, Vamana grew in size to cover the whole of the universe in his first two steps. The King realised this was no ordinary boy but Lord Vishnu Himself. To honour his promise, Bali offered his head for the third step. Pleased with his devoutness, Vishnu stepped on his head and sent him to patala, but not before granting him the boon that he can revisit his people once every year which is celebrated as Onam.

People from all walks of life in the southern state of Kerala celebrate Onam to mark the harvest season and the end of monsoon. The 10-day-long festival in the Malayalam month of Chingam (August-September) is a spell of feasting and cultural bonding irrespective of the religious community they belong to.

Significance

Each region comes with its own history and interpretation. Onam is the welcome revelry for the homecoming of the generous and benevolent demon king Mahabali from pathala or netherworld. Trikkakara in Kochi sparked off Onam as Vamana arrived here to visit Mahabali. In Kasargod, the mythical king is worshipped as God. On a religious note, people pray to Lord Vishnu in the form of Lord Vamana, to attain happiness, prosperity and longevity. They express their gratefulness for a generous harvest.

Décor with Pookalam

Pookalam is an artistic rangoli with fresh flower petals and leaves at the entrance of homes to welcome and honour King Mahabali whose soul, it is believed, visits households during Onam. Tall brass lamps are lit. It nurtures a sense of harmony and friendship as families and neighbours gather to create flowery designs. Competitions are held to recognize and showcase the artistic creativity of participants.

Cultural events

There are many theyyams or folk rituals observed in Kerala to bring back a bygone era. Pulikali or tiger-dance is performed on the fourth day of Onam where artists paint their bodies in stripes like tigers. Kaikottikali, rhythmic clapping of hands by dancers in co-ordination, is performed by the women folk. Men participate in Onathallu, a form of martial art dance.

The spectacle of the season is Vallamkali which includes races of paddled long boats or snakeboats. Held with much pomp and grandeur in the backwaters of Kerala are The Nehru Trophy Boat Race, Aranmula Snake Boat Race and more.

Onasadhya

A sumptuous multi-course feast prepared on Thiruvonam, the most auspicious day, is the highlight of this festival. Onasadhya is a grand, traditional vegetarian lunch eaten off fresh plantain leaves. It is customary to place the tapering part of the banana leaf towards the left end of the seated guest. Rice, main gravy items like sambar, rasam and payasams are served on the lower half of the leaf (towards the guest) while savoury and side dishes including dal vadai, papadam, chips, pickles are served on the farther half of the leaf.

Coconut, tamarind and curd form the base of most of the curries. Sambharam or spiced buttermilk is the standard beverage. Some of the most looked-forward-to preparations from Onasadhya are thoran (dry side-dish), koottu (semi-gravy side-dish), avial (a medley of vegetables in coconut-based masala), kaalan (sour curd, coconut, raw banana/yam), different types of pachadis (like raita), kichadi, olan, pumpkin erishery, mango pulishery besides upperi (jackfruit/banana chips) and puli injhi (ginger-tamarind relish). It is interesting to note that matta or red rice is served last after the side dishes have been served and is followed by ghee, dal and sambar/rasam. Not to forget the middle-course of jaggery-infused sweets, and Paruppu/Ada/Jackfruit pradhamans or payasams made with rice, jaggery and coconut milk. Sadhya’s finale is curd rice usually eaten with pickles and puli injhi.

New-age celebrations

With the migration of younger generation to cities, the festivities have changed. The folk rituals, dances and painted mimes have reduced, spread-out pookalams have shrunk to modest floral rangolis. One thing that has not changed is the grand home-made Onam feast or Sadhya. Whereas city-bred Keralites draw small petal-scattered kolams at the entrance of their apartment, light lamps, dress up and enjoy Sadhya prepared by caterers.

Jowar Payasam Recipe

Ingredients:

½ cup sorghum l 1¼ cup milk l ¼ tbsp cardamom powder l ¾ cup jaggery l 1 tbsp ghee l 8-10 cashew nuts l Generous pinch of saffron strands

Method: Wash sorghum two-three times and soak overnight in one cup water. Pressure cook in two cups of water till well done. Even it gets slightly overcooked, it is absolutely fine and might actually be better. Add ghee to a deep pot. Once it is melted, add cashew nuts and fry until golden and set aside. Add the cooked sorghum, milk and jaggery. Cook until the mixture thickens, stirring intermittently. Add golden fried cashews, saffron strands, cardamom powder and stir well. Serve warm.

(Recipe by Chef Varun Inamdar, Cucina Millets Cookbook)

Chana Dal Payasam Recipe

Ingredients

½ cup chana dal l ½ cup powdered jaggery l ½ cup thick coconut milk l 2 tablespoon milk l 7 cashews broken l Small pinch dry ginger powder l 2 teaspoon ghee

Method:

• Soak jaggery in warm water till immersing level and crush it well. Heat it until it is slightly thick. Strain and keep aside. Dry roast chana dal until it turns golden brown. In a pressure cooker add chana dal with water till immersing level and pressure cook for three-four whistles, don't make it too mushy and set it aside. Heat ghee in a pan, add cashews and fry till golden brown, set aside. Heat jaggery syrup for two minutes until it starts thickening and then add chana dal at this stage. Once jaggery syrup is well combined with the dal, add coconut milk and mash it up with a ladle. Once it starts to boil, add dry ginger powder, milk and give a quick stir. Switch off the gas and add ghee-fried cashews. Serve Chana Dal Payasam hot/cold as per your preference.

(Recipe by Chef Bala Subramaniam, South of Vindhyas Restaurant-The Orchid Hotel, Mumbai)

Adhirasam Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup raw rice l ¾ cup jaggery powdered l ½ cup water l 1 tsp cardamom crushed l ½ teaspoon sesame seeds l 1 teaspoon ghee l Oil for deep frying

Method:

Heat jaggery till it dissolves. Strain and set it aside. Soak rice in water for two hours, spread it in a cloth and set aside for 30 minutes. Grind it to a semi fine powder when it still has moisture content, and sieve it. Add sesame seeds, cardamom powder. Heat jaggery in a pan and keep stirring until it is thick. Keep checking the syrup by pouring it on a plate containing water. When it forms a soft ball consistency, it is the right stage. Switch off the burner immediately. Now add jaggery syrup in the flour and keep mixing it to avoid lump formation. Transfer to an airtight container and set aside for a day in room temperature. The next day the dough will have tightened. Add a teaspoon of ghee and knead it once. Then pinch and roll into lemon sized balls. Flatten it with your fingers, to a slightly thick consistency. Heat oil for frying. Gently drop each adhirasam. When it puffs up, carefully flip over and cook in low flame till reddish brown on both the sides. Do not cook in high flame. Drain off excess oil. Delicious adhirasams are ready.

(Recipe by Chef Bala Subramaniam, South of Vindhyas Restaurant-The Orchid Hotel, Mumbai)