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| Religion and rituals |
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Kerala religion
Kerala has a unique amalgamation of many religions. There is no such accurate
religion of Kerala, as people of many religions co-exist harmoniously there.
However, the major religions in Kerala in accordance to the number of followers
are Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. Apart from these three religions, one can
find people practicing Buddhism and Jainism also. In Kerala, religion is not
very constrained and you can find Hindus visiting churches and Christians
visiting temples.
The oldest known religion to exist in Kerala is
Hinduism. The Dravidians were the oldest to settle in Kerala. The Aryans were
the last ones to come to Kerala. The traditions instilled then are being
continued till date. Infact, Kerala also has a tiny community of Jews who have
a 10-century-old history to boast of. The Hindus of Kerala respect the ancient
scriptures and even today all sacred rituals are performed according the Vedas.
The Muslims celebrate every festival of their
religion and say prayers religiously. They haven't forgotten their roots and
proud of their rich culture. Though they live in Kerala, the Muslims have their
own identity and will not lose their individuality irrespective of where they
live. The Christians are also very particular of their culture and religious
practices. They make it a point to visit the Church every Sunday and celebrate
every festival with joy and pomp and in true Christian spirit.
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| Kerala Rituals
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Onam depicts the story of Mahabali, the king, who ruled the country during a time of prosperity. He still visits Kerala annually to bless the people. The women dress up and decorate the entrance to their homes to welcome Mahabali.
The festival begins from the lunar asterism Atham which falls ten days before the asterism Thiruvonam. The preparations for the celebration of Thiruvonam begin on the Atham day. The Thiruvonam is the most important day of the festival.
Women clean their houses and yards. A temporary mud stall is put up and washed with cow-dung solution for the royal visitor. Women get up earlier than usual, have a bath, wear fresh clothes - traditionally they wear off-white cotton saris with a zari border, put flower strings in their long black tresses and adorn themselves with jewellery.
In the front yard of the house, Athapoovu (floral decoration) is made for ten days from Atham to Thiruvonam. The idol of Thrikkakkara Appan made of clay is placed in the middle of the floral decoration, a clear example of the aesthetic sense of the Malayalees who do it with a sense of devotion. Once the Attam is completed, the women sing songs in praise of Mahabali and perform a dance of simple but graceful steps around it.
On the eve of Thiruvonam, the most important day, it is said Mahabali comes to bless his people. On this day, a symbolic welcome is made from the people of Kerala.
On the Thiruvonam day after bathing everyone offers worship in temples early in the morning. People wear new clothes. Elders give presents to the younger members of the family especially new garments. Then follows the onam feast of delicious food and tradional sweet dish "payasam" served on plantain leaves. Members of families, staying far away from native places make it a point to visit their ancestral homes to celebrate the festival. People of Kerala celebrate Onam by organising community feast, cultural programmes, etc.
After the feast there will be sports and games, both indoor and outdoor in which both men and women of all ages participate. Mock fight, ball games, card and chess play are the favorites of the menfolk whereas women find pleasure in 'Oonjalattom, Thumbithullal, Thiruvathirakalim, Kaikottikali, etc. Boat races (regatta) also form another item of Onam festival which attract thousands of people including tourists. |
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