Monday, March 24, 2014

TAMIL FESTIVALS IN KERALA



                                                      Tamil festivals
Upanayanam,Mangalyam,Pumsavana seemantham,
Pongal( Makaram ),Sivarathri( Kumbham ), Thaali noyambu( Meenam ),SriRama navami Meenam ), Vishu( Medam ),Avani Avittom(chingam ),Vinayaka Chathurthy( Chingam ),Janmashtami( Chingam ), ThiruOnam( Chingam ),  Navarathri( Kanni ),  Deepavali, ( Thulam )Thrikkarthika( Vrischigam ), Thiruvathira ( Dhanu ), Amavasya Tharpanam( all new moon days )etc are some of the customs followed by Tamil Brahmins in Kerala.
Some of these are celebrated within the family and some as collective celebrations.Pongal, ThaliNoyambu, Vishu,Deepavali,Thrukkarthika,etc are celebrated in the house itself,while others are celebrated at some common place/hall.
Thalinoyambu is strictly a family function which is performed by the married ladies whose husband is alive for continued  long life with their partners and also by unmarried  girls for good marriage alliance . Recently  this function was conducted during the late night hours in a local hall to give publicity /image boost/ for the community.The news with a photo was published in several newspapers too !I felt it to be a most unhealthy practice to give coverage in media for such family functions. At this rate  we may witness several private functions being held on a  public stage  to entertain the public.
The very same sponsors of this Grand Festival have a defunct school started in the name of a noble person of the community.While most of the other schools established along with it or even later have progressed very much,they found it wise to close down the school and   concentrate on holding  feasts, festivals,felicitations, protest march etc.The school compound would have helped them to do wonderful service to the local public and boost the image of our community.The right thinking elder members can advise them on this.