As Ciṅgam kickstarts, Kerala gears up for its most vibrant and awaited festival: Onam (ഓണം). It is the time of celebrations with captivating flower carpets (Pūkkaḷam), rhythmic songs (Ōṇapāṭṭu), and grand feasts (Ōṇasadya)! Onam falls on the 22nd star (Thiruvōṇam) of Cingam in the Malayalam calendar, Kolla Varsham. As we celebrate Ōṇam this month, let's reflect on its origins and evolution.
See Full PDF See Full PDFIn this short paper, I propose that the harvest festival of Kerala, 'Onam' is a celebration of the carnivalesque as put forward by Mikhail Bakhtin in "Rabelais and His World" (1965). Since a detailed examination of the tradition and practices of Onam is beyond the scope of this paper, I will be focusing briefly on these aspects: The legend of King Mahabali, the Pulikali dance and the concept of Onapottan.
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The traditional festival of 'Onam' in Kerala, India involves the ritual of preparing flower-beds on ground, using a variety of flowers. The present paper is discussion on the specific kind of species of plants used for this purpose and their cultural significance. A few other festivals, relating to 'Onam', which are also 'flower-centred' also is discussed.
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EL HARAKAH (TERAKREDITASI)
Ontalan is a Maduranese tradition at weddings. The term of ontalan (oncal: Javanese) means throwing, which is throwing money at the bride and groom when they are sitting side by side. As a tradition, ontalan is something that has been done and has become part of the life and local wisdom of the Pamekasan community which is still being implemented. The social function of ontalan is to strengthen social relations between families, a symbol of family cohesiveness, and also as a symbol of agreement on the marriage of the bride and groom. While the economic function of ontalan is in order to help families who have an intention and as a provision of life for a new couple. Some people continue to try preserving these traditions through inheritance to the next generation, construction and modification so that the tradition is in accordance with the times.Ontalan adalah tradisi orang Madura di pesta pernikahan. Istilah ontalan (oncal: Jawa) berarti melempar, yaitu melempar uang ke pengantin .
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Journal of Pharmaceutical Advanced Research
Bathukamma is the State Festival of Telangana. Government of Telangana state has declared the Bathukamma Festival as Telangana state festival. “Bathukamma is a beautiful festival celebrated with happiness. It represents the cultural spirit of Telangana. There are also many scientific reasons behind it. Bathukamma is celebrated for nine days during Durga Navratri. It starts on the day of Mahalaya Amavasya and the 9-day festivities culminate on "Saddula Bathukamma" or "Pedda Bathukamma" festival on Ashwayuja Ashtami, popularly known as Durgashtami which is two days before Dussehra. The flower stack, arranged with seasonal flowers, has many medicinal values. It is a floral festival in which everyday various colored flowers are arranged row after row in a brass plate, called as Bathukamma, placed in front of Diety and daily worshipped for a week.
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Every society has an expectation about how its members should and should not behave. Such expectations later develop into norms and taboos that are explained and expanded through rituals and practices. Apart from being observed strictly, these taboos and norms are sometimes subjected to violation which deserves severe punishment. There also exists 'allowed times' including ceremonies, rituals and festivals during which the normal consequences of taboo breaking are suspended. Russian literary theorist and philosopher Bhakthin coined a term Carnivalesque to mean such occasions in which the political, legal and ideological authority was inverted — albeit temporarily — during the anarchic and liberating period of the carnival. 'Thiruvathira' is a festival of women belonging to the Nair and Namboothiri families of Kerala, commemorating the death and resurrection of Kamadeva, the cupid of Indian Mythology. The paper seeks to reach a socio cultural context that provides the tolerance of subversion of norms and to provide insight for further research in this area. The paper attempts to discuss the reliability of the rituals of 'Thiruvathira' as an emancipating strategy of the silenced and marginalized women and also analyses the politics of such occasions and unravels diverse lifestyle and culture of the Nair and Namboothiri(Bhrahmin) women that necessitates the taboo breaking in this festival.
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Onranpakuti, the title of a section of the fifth-century CE Tamil Cilappatikaram, is challenging to translate as its literal meaning, 'single part', seems unrelated to the verse. This article explores paths to a better translation, examining internal evidence, title conventions, content, the Pinnai figure, and related sources. This approach leads to my proposal that Onranpakuti is a 'tamilized' reference to the guardian Vrshni goddess, Ekanamsha 'One without parts', and provides supporting evidence that (i) the cult of Ekanamsha should be recognised as part of the early history of South Indian Vaishnavism and (ii) that this section of the Cilappatikaram is actually devoted to this goddess, with the Mayavan-Krishna figure and his brother as attendant deities, who is depicted as clan protector, young kinswoman to Krishna, and his spouse.
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The divine feminine is apparent in myriad forms across this world. We see Her in the animate and the inanimate; in us and in others; in the temporal and the ethereal. We find Her revered in various ways too and the expression of this reverence again sees a myriad shades depending on the geographical locale. In the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, India, we see Her as an enigmatic all pervasive omnipotent power who is appeased with humble offerings of neem leaves and porridge. At the same time her wrath knows no bounds if she is disturbed in any way. Simple people with simple faith offer their prayers in the most fervent and genuine potential and the indigenous festivals are true witness to this. This paper is collective representation of the manifestations of the Divine Feminine in the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh and the charming stories behind the 'ammas' threaded together from oral tradition of narrations.
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