Others : Rangoli / Muggulu / Kolams / Rangavalli : Onam Pookkalam or Floral Designs

Manju
great photos. thanks for sharing. did you these yourself? really nice.

Really beautiful. A feast for the eyes. Thanks for posting.
Mythraeyi

Manju
Wow! Amazing pictures. .What a feast to the eyes...
Do you keep such elaborate "pookalams" too for Onam every year?

This year I kept a small one... say about 1/8th the size of the ones in photos you have posted and it took me a solid one hour inspite of having the flowers ready in advance.
Does speed come with practice or we simply need extra help?

Sorry for boring you... but I was inspired seeing the pics.

Regards
Honeybee

hiiiiiiiiii
friend
All desigens are so good &very colourful.

Hi Honeybee,

Thank you...The pictures I posted were not done by me... I collected them from some other websites and posted it here.

But for making such big pookkalms, it will take atleast 3 hours... Usually people make such elaborate designs for competitions only... For Onam festival, we have to put Pookalams for 10 days from 'Atham' to 'Thiruvonam'... So it is not possible to spend that much hours daily morning for Pookalams...

When I was in Kerala during my school days, I used to put small ones in our house...For that you have to get up in the morning, take bath and then make the designs... And on the 10th day, there are some rituals like keeping 'Ada' between flowers and the guys will come and take them with out our knowledge and many such things...

But now a days, nothing like that exists in most of the places... Everyone will make Pookkalams, but not according to old traditions and rituals... That is what I am seeing in my place.... No one has time for all these things...

Everyone celebrates the 'Thiruvonam' day with grand feasts and good clothes...But all other things are only parts of tourism these days in Kerala.

This is what I personally feel about Onam festival now....

Hi all,

Thank you for the compliments:thank you2:

Hi manju
You sure became nostalgic.
I have not visited kerala during "Onam season" in the recent past and so no idea about what's happening.

BTW the grand feast part.. do they cook at home or like in Chennai go to quality restuarants which come up with authentic "Ona sadya" for lunch ?
It was surprising to see my mallu neighbours (both employed!) skip the pookalam and also work on that day inspite of it being a holiday.

Regards
Honeybee

Hi Honeybee,

Most people cook at home itself for Sadhya. But there are restaurants offering "Ona sadya" for lunch in Kerala also. There may be people who go out and have lunch at these places.

But then why are we celebrating Onam ? Onam is celebrated to welcome King Mahabali to your home when he returns to see his people. But all of us go out of our homes to have lunch at a restaurant, then there is no meaning for Onam celebrations..

Mahabali may be feeling very bad these days when he sees empty houses with no pookkalam...Hahaha...

All this because people don't have much time in todays fast life for all the traditions and rituals... Even I don't put pookkalam here in Chennai, but will prepare Ona Sadhya at home itself...

Originally Posted by manjumnair

Mahabali may be feeling very bad these days when he sees empty houses with no pookkalam...Hahaha...

Manju
In all probability Mahabali will consider visiting restuarants instead in the years to come...

Good ones Manju,

Will it be possible for you to teach us online how to do these pookolams?