Onam: The Harvest Festival in Kerala, India

Onam is the most revered, celebrated, and heartfelt festival in Kerala. It is particularly important as it involves the entire local population, uniting people of all religions residing in the state, spreading the message of unity and peace in society, elevating the Malayalam patriotic spirit, and instilling pride in the Keralan community.

Also called Thiru-Onam or Thiruvonam, Onam is the great harvest festival that lasts ten days in the Malayalam month of Chingam, which in the Gregorian calendar falls between late August and early September. It is a celebration linked to the cyclical nature of agricultural activities and a thanksgiving for the rice harvest.

The festival celebrates and honors the kind-hearted and much-loved King Mahabali, who is believed to return to Kerala during this festival.

Spiritual significance of Onam

According to mythology, King Mahabali was the greatest king of Kerala, and it was during his reign that the locals saw their heyday, with prosperity and grandeur reigning everywhere. To end Mahabali's rule over the earth, the god Vishnu emerged as Vaman and tricked the king into giving him whatever land he had. Thus, King Mahabali was sent to a lower world, but Vishnu granted him the gift of visiting his homeland once a year, and it is believed that the king returns to Kerala. Onam then celebrates the king's homecoming.

Vaishnava mythology says that King Mahabali, of the Asura tribe, defeated the gods and began ruling all three worlds. The kind-hearted ruler was beloved by his people. However, the gods were unsure and so asked Vishnu to intervene and control Mahabali. The god Vishnu assumed the avatar of a dwarf Brahmin, Vamana, and visited King Mahabali. When Mahabali asked Vamana what he wished for, he replied, "three pieces of earth." When Vamana granted his wish, he grew in size and, in his first and second steps, covered the heavens and then the underworld. As he was about to take his third step, Mahabali offered his head. This act impressed Vishnu, and he granted Mahabali the right to visit his kingdom once a year during Onam.

The Ten Days of Onam

The Onam celebrations last ten days and according to the adage Atham 10 Onam, each day has its own name, meaning and activities, which punctuate the festival celebrations.

• Atham is the first day of Onam, and people begin the celebrations by decorating their homes with yellow flowers, known as pookalam . These flower arrangements grow in size with each passing day of the festival as a new layer is added. The decorations are made to welcome the spirit of King Mahabali.
• Chithira is the second day of the festival. On this day, devotees clean their entire house and add another layer of flowers to the pookalam. This is the most auspicious day for purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables, along with other provisions.
• Chodi is the third day, people gather to celebrate the auspicious occasion and buy gifts, such as new clothes, known as Onakodi, and jewelry, for each other.
• Vishakam is the fourth day, considered the most auspicious of the festival, and preparations for Onam Sadhya begin. While the number of dishes varies from family to family, most families make up 26 delicacies.
• Anizham is the fifth day, when the traditional snake boats prepare to race at Aranmula Uthrattathi Vallamkali, Kerala's oldest riverboat festival. This day is the most important day of the Onam celebrations, as the Vallamkali—the snake boat race—begins.
• On the sixth day of Thriketa , the pookalam becomes very large, with at least five or six tiers or layers of flowers added to the original design. The celebrations begin in full swing when people begin their holidays from work and children leave school to celebrate Onam.
• Moolam is the seventh day. Families visit each other, and temples begin performing special sadhyas. Various venues also host Puli Kali (masked tiger dance) performances and traditional dance forms like Kaikottikali.
• Pooradam is the eighth day, small statues of Mahabali and Vamana are carried around the house and placed in the centre of the pookalam.
• Uthradom is the ninth day, the day on which King Mahabali is believed to return to Kerala. It's considered the most auspicious day, and people buy fresh vegetables and begin cooking traditional dishes.
• Thiruvonam is the tenth and final day of Onam. People clean their homes, apply rice flour batter to the main entrance, take an early bath, don new clothes, and enjoy Onam Sadhya festivities . People also engage in various games and activities to celebrate the festival. The eldest female member of the family also presents new clothes to other members.

Onam Celebrations, Rituals and Practices

There are interesting rituals, events, practices, customs and traditions that take place during the ten days of Onam, the harvest festival.

The characteristic floral designs known as pookalam are a symbol of this festival. Typically, the women of the household create various patterns on the ground with flowers and lit lamps to invite King Mahabali into their home.

Cuisine and food are a key component of the celebrations. Numerous dishes are typically prepared for the occasion in homes and on the streets, usually served on banana leaves. Traditionally, up to 30 dishes are served on these banana leaves as a single dish, consisting of rice with various side dishes, sauces, pickles, chutney, papad, sambar, fried banana, thoran, aviol, payasam, and other delicacies.

The signature Onam dish is parippu payasam, a sweet kheer made with rice, milk, sugar, and coconut. Other typical foods include kalan (sweet potatoes and yams), olan (white pumpkin cooked in coconut curry), avial (seasonal vegetables cooked in coconut curry), kootu curry (a chickpea-based dish), and rasam (a soup-like dish made with tomatoes and peppers, eaten with rice and other dishes).

A special event associated with Onam is the Vallamkali or Snake Boat Race, a major event in Kerala these days. Huge boats, or rather traditional war canoes, shaped like snakes are rowed by rowers. There are different races depending on the number of rowers, up to 150.

Another characteristic of Onam in Kerala is the parade of decorated elephants. Onam celebrations throughout the state begin with a large procession held in Thrippunithura called Atthachamayam, also known as Thripunithura Athachamayam. The parade features marching elephants accompanied by drum music, floats, and colorfully dressed people wearing masks.

Throughout Onam, concerts, shows, demonstrations of typical Malayan arts, dances and theatre traditions take place in all cities, including drum performances, the traditional Kathakali dance, and the distinctive tiger men – special dancers painted in yellow and black to resemble tigers – performing the Puli Kali dance.

Even in Hindu temples, activities are frenetic, with rituals and ceremonies taking place, and candle lights are lit in the temple and in homes to pay homage to Mahabali and to celebrate the harvest.

If you are lucky enough to travel to Kerala during Onam, the harvest festival, you can enjoy festivals, cultural performances, events, and taste typical local cuisine.

Onam also marks the arrival of the Malayalam New Year and celebrates the harvest. The most representative Onam traditions are:

Pookalam

(Poov = flower + Kalam = color). These are floral tapestries made to welcome King Mahabali. During Onam celebrations, they can be seen in every home and are traditionally made by young girls or teenagers in the family.

Onasadya or Onam Sadhya

This is an elaborate, strictly vegetarian feast, typically consisting of 9 to 13 dishes, although in the past it could have been as many as 64 (8 dishes served with 8 different specialties). It is prepared in every home at great expense and following elaborate rituals for its preparation and serving. Onasadya is traditionally enjoyed on the ground and served on traditional banana leaves as tableware.

Kaikottikai

This is a typical Onam dance, where women dance in a circle around an oil lamp, clapping their hands to the rhythm and wearing traditional white saris with gold borders.

The traditional "snake" boat race, a traditional nautical competition in which elongated rowboats compete.