Glimpses of Onam celebration on campus
Keralites believe that Onam is a time of goodness, prosperity and happiness. They celebrate the festival with flowers, food, cultural events and new clothes which bring happiness to everyone. Onam promotes togetherness and empathy too and WCC stands proof to that. WCC celebrates the festival every year as the college has a considerable Malayali student population. The day brings back fond memories of ‘sadhya’ (feast) and ‘pookkalam’ (floral design) to students from Kerala and is also sure to delight the non-Keralite population on campus. Large numbers of girls in traditional Kerala attire, ‘the set saree’ or the Kerala saree as it is commonly known, are inarguably a sight to behold. While there are students dancing to ‘Onapaattu’, others are diligently engaged in the Pookkalam competition, while another lot is busy clicking pics for their Onam posts on Insta that day. It is a day that celebrates many emotions - the happiness of feeling at home while being away from home, and the nostalgia that the memory of home and family brings to the homesick Malayali. It is also a day when students, irrespective of their State and culture, celebrate Onam without compromising its essence. It is indeed a day of togetherness.
In Kerala, during Onam, there is more than just happiness in homes. It brings people together because anger and strife are forgotten. Onam is the official festival of Kerala as well as the harvest festival, celebrated irrespective of caste, community, religion and gender. This festival has also evolved with the times. Gone are the days when women were stuck in their kitchens on Onam day, preparing a multi-course feast for their families. Now that professional caterers and restaurants deliver ready-made sadyas at home, women can also participate in all the festivities which include games and cultural specialities.
The celebrations extend for ten days in Kerala, starting in the month of Chingam, which marks the beginning of the Malayalam new year. The ten days of Onam are Atham, Chithira, Chodi, Vishakam, Anizham, Thriketa, Moolam, Pooradam, Uthradom, and Thiruvonam. It is the occasion celebrating the mythical king Mahabali's annual visit to his subjects from the netherworld. The legend goes like this: Mahabali was a wise and compassionate ruler. Once when Mahabali was doing a yajna, a dwarfish lad, Vamana, entered the chamber. Mahabali greeted him and inquired about his needs as was customary. The boy responded that he needed land which could be covered in three steps. Mahabali readily granted the boy’s wish. He began to grow in size, covering the entire universe with the first two steps he took. Mahabali then realised that it was no ordinary boy but Lord Vishnu himself. Seeing that there was no more land left, the king bowed before the boy, offering his head for the third step. Satisfied by the king's devotion, Lord Vishnu blessed Mahabali and sent him to Pathaala or the netherworld, with permission to visit his subjects once every year. The incident is said to have occurred on the star sign of Thiruvonam in the month of Chingam, and ever since, every year during the ten days of Onam, the people of Kerala eagerly await their beloved king’s return.
(legend source: keralatourism.org)