Festivals for kids

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ONAM
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ONAM
Legend has it that there once
lived a wise and benevolent
demon king called Emperor
Mahaballi who was a devout
worshiper of Lord Vishnu. He
was a kind and fair King and
his people were prosperous.
Even though Mahaballi was a
just king, he was a demon
which made the gods jealous of
his prosperity. They sought
Lord Vishnu's help who decided
to prove Mahaballi's good
nature by testing him.

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ONAM
To do this Vishnu took on the
avatar of a poor young
Brahmin by the name of
Vamana. At around this time
Mahaballi
had
made
a
declaration that he would help
anyone if they made the request
during his worship. This is when
Vamana approached Mahabali
and made a small request before
the King all he wanted was the
land he could cover in three
steps.

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ONAM

Without a second thought, the Emperor granted Vamana all the land he
wanted. This is when the true nature of Vamana was revealed. He began
to grow in size and with one step he covered the entire sky and with the
other he covered the whole of the Earth! Mahabali realised that the
simple Brahmin boy was actually a mighty god. Since there was no
more land to cover in the third step, Mahablli offered his head as a place
for Vamana's third step.
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ONAM
With this step Mahabali was pushed to
Patala, the kingdom between the living
and the dead. For this mighty act of
devotion Mahabali was made king of
the underworld and the permission to
return to his subjects for 1 day every
year. We celebrate Onam every year to
mark Mahaballi's homecoming every
year.
The festival is celebrated in Kerala.
This 10 day event occurs during the
month of Chingam and ends on
Thiruvonam. Dirt mounds representing
Mahaballi and Vamana are made in the
courtyards of houses and decorated
with elaborate flower arrangements.
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ONAM

One of the highlights of Onam are the Vallam Kali or snakeboat races.
This is where teams of about 100 men compete in traditional Kerala
war canoes in a race along the backwaters of god's own country,
Kerala.
On the day of his arrival people hold an Onam sadya, a grand feast
of 21 dishes that is served on banana leaves. Everything from the
pickle to the papadam is lovingly shared amongst family and the meal
usually ends with a big serving of sweet and delicious payasam.
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ONAM
Lamps are lit and a palmyra tree is erected in front of Hindu temples.
This palmyra tree is surrounded by a wooden fence covered with dry
palmyra leaves. To signify Mahabali's descent back to Patala, the
fence is lit and burnt to ashes at the end of the festivities.

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ONAM
PROJECT

Mahaballi was an asura (daemon) but yet worshipped Vishnu. Can you
find any other cases where asuras did in fact worship the suras?
The traditional Onam sadya consists
of 21 different treats. Can you find
out what a traditional Onam sadya
would have on its menu?
The oldest Vallam Kali is the Payippadu
Vallam Kali. Can you find out how it
started and where it is held?
Vishnu has appeared in many different
avatars. Can you find out 2 more
avatars of Vishnu?
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ONAM
Find somebody from Kerala and interview them about how their family
celebrates Onam. Ask them the following questions:
What is the most exciting part of celebrating Onam?
Is there a special ritual that your family does? Explain.
What is your favourite dish of Onam Sadya?
(If your friend is not Hindu) How is your Onam celebration different
from a typical Onam in a Hindu household?

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