Thiruvonam, which marks the culmination of the 10-day Onam carnival,
is just around the corner, and the city's Malayalis seem to be in high spirits about the preparations and celebrations for this festive season.
Onam (
Malayalam: ഓണം) is a festival celebrated by the people of
Kerala,
India.It is also the Harvest Festival of Kerala with State holidays on 4 days starting from Onam Eve (Uthradom) to the fourth Onam Day. It is also a secular festival, celebrated by people of all religions and castes with the same zeal . The festival falls during the
Malayalam month of Chingam (Aug - Sep) and marks the homecoming of the mythical King
Mahabali who Malayalees consider as their King. Onam is reminiscent of Kerala's agrarian past, as it is considered to be a harvest festival . Also, it is one of the very few festivals that is celebrated with most number of cultural elements such as Vallam Kali, Pulikkali, Pookkalam, Onatthappan, Thumbi Thullal,
Onavillu, Kazhchakkula, Athachamayam etc
The beauty of the festival lies in its secular fabric. People of all religions, castes and communities celebrate the festival with equal joy and verve. Onam also helps to create an atmosphere of peace and brotherhood by way of various team sports organised on the day.
The rich cultural heritage of Kerala comes out in its best form and spirit during the ten-day festival. The central feature of Onam is the grand feast called Onasadya, prepared on Thiruvonam. It is a nine-course meal consisting of 11 to 13 essential dishes. Onasadya is served on banana leaves and people sit on a mat laid on the floor to have the meal
During Onam, people create a multi-coloured floral decoration on the ground in the front of their home called pookkalam. Young children especially girls are often entrusted with the task of gathering and laying out the flowers in elaborate patterns. Competitions are held on onam day to create this floral design. It is usually 1.5 m in Diameter usually in circular shape. A lamp is usually placed as part of the design. In the recent years, the floral designs have evolved from the traditional circular shape to unique designs depicting different cultural and social aspects of Kerala life.
The
Vallamkali (the snake boat race) is another event that is synonymous with Onam. Well-known races include the
Aranmula Boat Race and the
Nehru Trophy Boat Race. About 100 oarsmen row huge and graceful snake boats and men and women come from far and near to watch the snake boats skim through the water.
During the Onam, Keralite Hindus install an image of Thrikkakara Appan or Onatthappan (Vishnu in the form of Vamana) in their home just as Hindus install images or murtis of
Lord Ganesh on the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
Many lamps are lit in Hindu temples of Kerala during this celebration.A palmyra tree is erected in front of temples and surrounded with a wooden balustrade and covered with dry palmyra leaves.It is lit with a torch and burned to ashes to signify that Mahabali went to hell as a sacrifice.
