Onam Festival Kerala - A Portray of Cultural Heritage

Onam is among the most wonderful festivals of Kerala. It is a harvest festival. The festival is celebrated by Keralites concurrently despite of different casts and religions. This is the time for sports and celebrations in the state. Living in the area covered with backwaters, lakes and canals, people of Kerala take their boats and country crafts to celebrate the occasion. Vibrant aquatic festivals are also held along the holy Pamba River. The sky gets clear blue and forests a deep green after three months of heavy rain. The streamlets come alive and the flowers are in full bloom. This is the time when people celebrate & rejoice and reap the forest.

Time

Onam or Thiruvonam is the harvest festival of Kerala, which is celebrated in the first Malayalam month of Chingom (August-September) every year. The festival brings unlimited celebration for ten days.

Rituals

The origin of Onam is traced back to an interesting legend of an asura, Mahabali. It is celebrated in the honour of king Mahabali. On this day, women dress up in new saris and jewellery and take delight in making the intricate designs of “Rangolis” and “Pookkalam” in front of their houses.

Celebration

People decorate the areas in front of their houses with flower mats to welcome the king Mahabali. Keralites in all the different areas of the world celebrate these ten days festivity with much gusto and enthusiasm. They visit various temples, enjoy different types of dancing like Thumbi Tullal and Thiruvathira Kali. They also enjoy the grand lunch on the Thiuruvonam day, which holds great significance among the Keralites.

Highlights

Onam marks the exuberance of the spring. The festival is rejoiced for ten days. Atham is the first day and Thiruvonam is the concluding day of the celebration. It is espied with conventional fervour by organising colourful blossoms for pookalam. Visiting temples, gifting Onakkodi or new clothes to everyone and feasting on avial, payasams and pappadum on plantain leaves and interesting boat races like Vallomkali in the backwaters are the highlights of the event.