Arsenal Kerala celebrates Onam and Bakr-Eid
Members of the Arsenal Kerala Supporters Club celebrated the festivals of Onam and Bakr-Eid with various fun games and events across Kerala, in addition to the screening of the Arsenal vs Southampton game last Saturday. Activities organized across Kerala included the flower carpet competition, Tug of War, Thiruvathirakali, photo-op with Maveli, Lemon & Spoon race and more.
Match screening and celebration events were organized in the districts of Thrissur, Calicut, Malappuram and Kochi, in Kerala.
Match Report
The occasion also marked Arsenal’s first home win of the season, with a dramatic, injury time victory against Southampton. New signings Shkrodan Mustafi and Lucas Perez made their debuts for the Gunners and delighted fans with their solid performance.
Mustafi looked composed on the ball . His ability to mark was also seen as he paired up with Koscieny to form an impressive defensive partnership. He also won it back from the opposition with his strength on many occasions and drove the attack forward with his passing.
When Arsenal needed to go all out to equalize and then for that winning goal, Mustafi occupied the deep-lying midfielder role, freeing up the midfield to take up more attacking positions.
New striker Lucas Perez was a constant thorn in the opposition defence and his one-touch passes and movement showed he is well suited to fit into our style of play.
Perez played off the shoulders of the centerbacks and made himself available for long balls from midfield or defence, a trait that would augment the team’s ability to threaten from counterattacks in future.
Lucas also dropped in and out of the box to work opportunities, attacked crosses and looked capable of playing a wide range of attacking positions.
The Saints took the lead in the match with a Dusan Tadic free kick. However, the Gunners equalized in stunning fashion with Laurent Koscieny’s first goal of the season – a breathtaking bicycle kick from the box, in response to Cazorla’s well taken corner kick.
Arsenal looked threatening throughout the game, however Southampton barely hung on and looked to be content with a draw, especially in the latter stages of the match when several of their players were booked for time-wasting.
Gooners had to wait until injury time for the dramatic late winner as Santi Cazorla expertly put in a penalty after Jose Fonte had been penalized for a clear foul on Olivier Giroud, inside the box.
The result marked Arsenal’s second win of the season and first one at home, as the Gunners looked poised to fight for the title this year.
About Onam (September 13,14,15)
Onam is the official state festival of Kerala as well as its annual rice and flowers harvest festival. The festival officially kicks off on Onam eve (known as Uthradom) and concludes on the third Onam day. It is one of the rarest festivals worldwide, that is celebrated by people, irrespective of religion, caste or creed.
The myth behind the festival is an interesting one and celebrates the homecoming of Kerala’s ancient ruler – King Mahabali, who despite belonging to the race of Asuras (demons), was wise, benevolent and just, and under whom the land prospered. It is believed that the Gods were jealous of the King and devised a plan through Lord Vishnu, to vanquish him to Pathalam (Hell). However, Lord Vishnu was so impressed by Mahabali’s qualities that he granted him a boon, which the King used to wish for the opportunity to visit his land, once every year. This day is celebrated as ‘Thiru Onam’.
Malayalis traditionally celebrate Onam with their families and friends, dressed in the traditional attire of silk sarees (for women) and white dhotis (for men). They also organize a number of cultural elements to welcome King Mahabali into their homes. These include Vallam kali (snake-boat racing), pulikali (where dancers dress up as tigers), Pookalam (flower carpet), Tug of War, Thiruvathirakali (a traditional dance), Attthachamayam (a colourful public parade) as well as many other Onam games.
The occasion of ‘Thiru Onam’ is celebrated with a lavish feast served on banana leaves that includes over 18 vegetarian dishes, in addition to payasam (a dessert dish native to the state of Kerala)
Members of the Arsenal Kerala Supporters Club collaborated to lay a flowercarpet that included the initials of the AKSC group along with the Cannon immortalized by the team’s crest.
About Bakr-Eid (September 11/12)
Eid ul Adha or Bakr-Eid is known as the “Festival of the Sacrifice” and is celebrated across the globe as a Muslim holiday. It honours the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son, as an act of submission to the almighty God’s command, before God then intervened through his angel Jibra’il, asking him to sacrifice a goat instead and informing him that his sacrifice has been accepted.
Families celebrate Bakr-Eid with prayer followed by the feast. The meat from the sacrificed animal is divided into 3 parts. The family retains one third of the share, another third is gifted to relatives, friends and neighbours, and a third is given to the poor and needy.