As you may know Onam is the festival of the return of King Mahabali. The mythology behind Onam is as follows: Once upon a time there was a generous King named Mahabali, the people prospered under his rule. When the God’s saw this that became jealous so one of them Vamana disguised himself as a young boy and asked the king for 3 steps in his land. The king said yes, and in the first step he grew to the size of the earth, the second step the sky, and this covered all of Mahabali’s kingdom Vamana asked where to put his last step and Mahabali offered his head. Vamana pushed his head into hell, but Mahabali asked for a last wish which was to see his people once a year, and that day is Onam!
Here in Brisbane, we have tried to incorporate the same joy and prosperity just like it would be in India. we have brought our roots and traditions and have tried to create the same ambience here in Brisbane, to make it seem like just as celebratory as it would be in India. Our programmes would include: atthapookalam, thiruvathira, coming of Mahabali, pulikali, bharathanatyam, ona sadhya, skits, dances and songs! We hope to bring you a piece of India in our upcoming Onam celebration, and we hope you enjoy the festivities!
Written By: Angelina Jobins