Atham Path Onam-Ten Days Festival of Flavours&Flowers from Keralala

There are Six Indian seasons called Ritus. They are Vasantha(Spring),Grishma(Summer),Varsha(Monsoon),Sharad(Autumn),Hemant(prewinter)&Shishir(Winter). Out of this the best esason is considered to be Autumn between August23&October23. The Onam of Kerala which is being celebrated over 10 Days falls in this season Autumn Which starts with the Shravan Month otherwise known to be the Holiest month&is broadly known as Sivapooja Month.

The month of Shravan is very pleasant month in which the Ten Days of Onam with different kinds of Flavours of Keral are being enjoyed by people.These 10 Days are also well known for decoration of the front of every house in Kerala The speciality of the Autumn is the clear nature with crystal clear Blue sky,trees&plants full of Flowers. In Kerala generallyduring the ten days of Onamit is the work entrusted to children of every house to collect flowers from thye sorroundings &nearby areas in containers made of Cocunut leaves.The children roam in the villages to collect different flowers of different colours available in plenty all over the villages.These muticoloured flowers are being used to decorate front of every home in what is called Pookkalams.Whereever, there are no children the elders also do the job themselves finding time to do so.Thus the system of decorating homes with beautiful Pookkalams is never violated. This season of Onam Festival falls immediately after the months of Heavy rains,floods&a time when when food items are in scarce The Onam season in other words starts with the end of a difficult season in all respects. The Farmers become happier with the availability of plenty of grains&bananas during the Onam festival season. In every home big feasts are arranged during the Ten Days of Onam.Variety of Kerala special dishes using variety of fresh vegetables &pure fresh rice .It is a season to welcome the great king Mahabali who ruled Kerala according to the will&pleasure of the people.Every one liked the King who was kindhearted to the people Thus the Onam celebrations is dedicated to the great King Mahabali who ruled Kerala long ago. The Vamana yet another avathanr of Vishnu had sent Mahabali with his feet to Pathala(Dark Caves underneath the Earth).However, the King who was very fond of his People ,was granted permission to visit his people every year during the Onam festival season.In fact,the period of the visit of the King was termed as Onam Season The people of Kerala worshipped the King so much that a famous poet of the era wrote the under mentioned Poem "Maveli Naadu Vannedum Kalam Manusharellarumonnu pole".This means"When King Mahabali was ruling Kerala the people were happy &had equal status in every matters " There is one &only one Mahakshethra (Great Temple) for Vamana in Kerala at a place called "Thrikkakkara"in the Ernakulam District.There are many more great Temples in Kerala which are mainlyGuruvayoor Temple,Vadakkum Nathan Temple in Thrissur,Poornathhreyasi Temple at Tripunithura&Shri Pdmnabha Temple at Trivandrum. During &just before the Onam season,the paddy harvest would be over to collect the yields every year.Thus every home would be plenty with pure rice.The vegetablesof all kinds &varieties are also available afresh from the Plants during the Onam season. Thus the farmers not only are plenty with vegetables but get good price for their products which would make them much more happier. The Onam season is a good time for animals also as they get fodder afresh from the remainings of the plants&paddy. This is how the Onam season is blessed with all sorts of completeness in regard to food. The following are the major vegetables that are being produced in Kerala since a long time.But with the invasiion of Concrete builders&buildings all over Kerala there is a reduced production prevailing in the State of Kerala today The change in enviroment&climate also partially contribute towards the reduction of vegetable Products. The major vegetable production since a long time are indicated below: 1)Potato2)Onion,3)Lady's Finger,4)Brinjal,5)Bitter Gourd,6)Drumstick(the leaves of this tree is also a nutrious vegetable)7)Tomato,8)Pumpkin9)Ash Gourd,10)Bottle Gourd,11)French Beans,12)Carrot,13)Raw Banana,14)Yam,15)Green Peas 16)Curry Leaves&17)Corriander Leaves. Those who grow Vegetables,apart from having them in plenty get an opportunity to sell the which fetch good prices. The real Culture of Kerala is reflected all over more during the Onam season.This is the Best season to visit Kerala. As the rivers&Back waters are filled with plenty of water after the exit of monsoon,one cold get ample opportunity to enjoy Boatrides.At the same time one should be careful to take ride only under the supervision/Guidance of local people who know the Rivers&Backwaters intimately when you go on a ride on your own.Otherwise there are hidden chances of meeting with accidents.Unless one is an expert in swimming in deep water,it is advisable not to undertake such ventures.One should not forget to enjoy the natural food of Kerala while enjoying the picturesque scenerio all over Kerala.There are plenty of natural beaches to visit in Kerala spreading from Trivandrum to Cannanore (Kannur) One should not miss the Cultural City of Kerala Thrissur & sorroundings.Thrissur is famous for the Vadakkumnathan Temple&the neighbouring Guruvayoor Temple. Thrissur is famous for the Temple festival Thrissur Pooram.To witness this one should visit T%hrissur between April& May months.So enjoy Kerala&Onam when you get an opportunity or try to find time for this enjoyment. This Blog is dedicated to Ms Valerie Anderson. This blog is also to remember children all over the world. SreedharanMundanat Thursday Sept 12th, 2013 17-35Hrs(IST)