[Photo Sparks] Onam: celebration and creativity in pookalam floral design!

PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In this showcase, we feature some of the brilliant floral designs of the recent Onam festival!

In the earlier 50 posts, we brought you a wide range of creative photographs from an art fair, world music festival, painting fair, telecom expo, art museum, mobile showcase, math museum, social hackathon, bookstore, co-working space, sensorium, international design week, flower show, outdoor ads, startup roadshow, computer museum, startup T-shirts, business cards, art therapy, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, Vesak, jazz festival, modern art gallery, ecopreneurs, painter-poets, health activists, eNGOs and digital innovators.

Onam is one of the most beloved festivals of Kerala, with four state holidays out of the ten days in the harvest festival. It commemorates the Vamana avatara of Lord Vishnu and the homecoming of the mythical King Mahabali. The celebration is marked by the sadya (feast), onakkodi (buying and wearing of new clothes), thiruvathirakali (dance performed by women around a lamp), kummattikali (mask dance) – and pookolam (floral carpet).

The decoration is made up of a wide variety of flowers, florets and petals, depicting scenes from life in Kerala, and is sometimes kept for weeks. (See also my earlier photo essay on creative rangoli art during Diwali.) In this photo feature from Bangalore, we showcase some of the brilliant creativity in pookalam designs, and wish all our readers a happy festive season!

Got a creative photograph to share? Email us at [email protected]!

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