20. The Onam Feast in Malabar
THE Onam is the oldest of the national feasts of Malabar. This feast commences nine days previous to Onam day from the Hasta asterism and lasts three days after it. The commencement of the festivities is announced by the youngsters twanging a bowstring which is called Villukkottal. This Villukkottal is very harsh but is carried on throughout the continuance of the feast for ten days. It corresponds to the sounding of harsh drums by the low-caste people of the Madras Coast during the Sankramana festivities—the entrance of the sun into the sign Capricorn. The Onam is celebrated to commemorate the reign of Mahabali, the mythological king who is said to have ruled over Malabar. He is reported to have been humbled by Vishnu in Tirukkakarai, a sacred town in Travancore, where Vishnu appeared as a fair young boy weeping. The Hindu legends put this appearance down as the Vamanavatara or the dwarf incarnation
