15 Sep 2024, Amritapuri Ashram – Onam Celebrations
Onam was celebrated with immense joy and enthusiasm at Amritapuri Ashram this year as well. For ten days leading up to the festival, devotees created beautiful pookkalam—intricate flower designs on the floor—to welcome Vamana and King Mahabali. Each day, a unique and vibrant design, more than 5 square feet in size, adorned the ashram, showcasing creativity and devotion.
The cultural programs added a special touch to the festivities, with performances ranging from the graceful Thiruvathira Kali dance to lively dramas and dances. After weeks and months of practice, everyone came together to make this year’s Onam celebration truly memorable.
On the day of Onam, Amma delivered a heartfelt message, reminding everyone of the festival’s deeper significance:
“Oṇam has arrived once more at our doorstep, bringing with it the message of prosperity, equality, love, and happiness. Oṇam is a festival that embodies the entire rich essence of Malayalee culture.
Oṇam’s arrival brings the joy of togetherness, reliving memories, and sharing. It also brings the message of human values, which we often ignore. Oṇam solidifies the connection between humankind, nature, all living creatures, and God. It is a confluence of material prosperity, dharmic values, and devotion. It weaves together memories of a past golden era, the joy of the present, and the hope of a bright future.
Oṇam offers us the opportunity to be content with what we have, to share love, to overcome sorrow, to seek solutions, to expect goodness, and to hope for a better tomorrow. Oṇam reminds us that we can create happiness even in the midst of sorrow.
There is no Oṇam without the fond remembrance of Lord Viṣṇu and Mahābali. Tiruvoṇam is the day we invite the Lord’s avatāra (Vāmana) and His devotee (Mahābali) into our hearts. To awaken the devotee within us, and to realise God within us, is the true aim of Oṇam.
Oṇam celebrates the harmony between all beings in the universe—sentient and insentient. It symbolises the healthy relationship between humans and nature, between all living creatures, and between farmers and the soil. May this Oṇam inspire us to restore and cherish the warmth of this bond founded on love, respect, and goodness. May divine grace bless all my children and enable them to awaken and rise to that.”
Amma then led the devotees in meditation and sang three joyous bhajans that perfectly captured the festive mood. One of the highlights of the day was when over a thousand women, ranging in age from 18 to 80 years, dressed in traditional Kerala attire, performed the Thiruvathira Kali, dancing in perfect unison to Amma’s delight.
Amma personally distributed Ona Sadya—the traditional Onam feast—to everyone present. She even made sure to feed Lakshmi, the ashram elephant, offering rice, banana chips, and payasam to mark the occasion.
The evening continued with more cultural programs. The ashram’s Brahmacharinis presented a Sanskrit drama based on the Ramayana, captivating everyone with its beautiful costumes and elaborate stage setup. The celebration also included four other traditional dance performances, filling the hall with joy and energy.
The festivities came to a close at midnight, with Amma singing “Tantham thanannai tanai tanthannai” as the entire hall clapped and sang along. The joy of Onam overflowed in every heart, and the celebration left a lasting impression of love, togetherness, and devotion.
see pics from the celebrations:
see all Pookalams
