#kolam

I was originally going to do a decorated Christmas tree. But Deepavali is coming, and in any case I figured I'd rather showcase the decorations of my own culture!

The hanging leaf decorations are called thoranam (தோரணம்). They are a traditional Tamil festive decoration dating back centuries; they are mentioned in an 8th century Tamil poem. They are considered auspicious. They are traditionally made of coconut leaves, though there are also variants made with mango leaves and with veppilai or neem leaves. They are anointed with turmeric paste and kungumam or vermilion. Sometimes they have marigolds fastened to the bottom, which look lovely. These days you can purchase thoranams made of plasticky ribbon with stickers on.

The design below is a kolam (கோலம்). This is another very ancient Tamil decoration. Traditionally they are drawn on the flat ground just in front of the house entrance, with white rice flour. They are meant to be eaten by ants and birds (and also walked on and washed away by the wind and rain - traditionally a new one was drawn every morning on the freshly cleaned ground), a tribute to harmonious existence with nature and an invitation to Lakshmi. Traditionally, the lines must be closed to prevent evil spirits from entering the home.