In a parallel world without COVID, I would now be celebrating the Onam festival with the people of Kerala (South India).
The Onam Festival (ONAM):
This week, Kerala (southern India), usually known for its communist red, is dressed in white.
August–September, when India's monsoon rains end, also marks the start of the new year in Kerala, India.
It is also time to harvest rice and wish for a better, more fruitful year during the ten-day Onam festival.
During the festival, locals wear white and decorate the entrances to their homes/workplaces with pookalam—floral designs symbolizing blessings and welcome (adding another layer each day)—in preparation for the arrival of the legendary King Mahabali.
Locals share fond memories of the peace and prosperity of Mahabali's reign.
This period was the golden age of local history.
He was highly respected throughout his kingdom and known for his wisdom and great generosity. Everyone in the kingdom was happy: there was no discrimination based on caste or class, rich and poor were treated equally, and there was no crime or corruption.
Ironically, though, Mahabali was a demon, a descendant of the god Vishnu.
Instead of behaving like a demon, he cared for humans and became revered.
He was so powerful and his kingdom so mighty that the gods began to fear his power would grow too great, so they sent Vishnu to deal with him.
Vishnu, the preserver of the universe, acts in the world through ten incarnations/forms (avatars).
This time, Vishnu appears before the king as a dwarf with 3 legs named Vamana.
The generous king asks the dwarf what he wants. The dwarf asks for three plots of land in his kingdom, one for each of his feet.
The king agrees, and suddenly the dwarf grows to monstrous proportions: two of his feet cover the entire kingdom, and his head blocks out the sun and stars.
Vamana asks the king where to place his third foot. The generous, gracious king keeps his word and offers his own head, allowing Vamana to push him into the earth so he can stand securely.
Before being buried in the earth, King Mahabali's final request to Vishnu was to let him visit his kingdom once a year. His wish was granted.
If the story sounds familiar, it is because it resembles other harvest festivals around the world, such as Shavuot: the god of fertility returns from the dead, and white clothes symbolize nature's abundance and generosity (the harvest festival), as well as purity and giving (the revelation at Mount Sinai).
In nature, white "does not absorb energy like black," but reflects it. This is why, according to the Zohar, white symbolizes giving.
During harvest season in our region, the god Baal (buried by Anat), as well as Dionysus, returns from the dead, bringing spring and agricultural abundance.
They are welcomed with music, dancing and processions of bulls, which represent their symbols—as in the sin of the Golden Calf.
All that remains is to enjoy the most spectacular of the three festivals we experienced last year: the Puli Kali tiger dance festival.
Link to the group post: here