A Malayali living in Kerala or abroad, Onam brings us all home. Onaashamsakal to all of you!
What is it?
Onam is a harvest festival celebrated in Kerala and by Malayalis all around the world, It falls in the first month of ‘chingam’ in the Malayalam calendar. Although the festival is based on Hindu mythology, Malayalis of all religions celebrate it with its special rituals, food and decorations.
The legend of Onam
According to myth, the gods in heaven were jealous of the growing strength of a great king named Mahabali or Maveli who ruled the kingdom which now is Kerala. The Hindu god Vishnu, upon the insistence of the gods, comes to Mahabali dressed as a Brahmin boy named Vamana and asks a boon of land, measured by three foot steps. The king agrees and upon hearing this, Vamana grew in size and stood so tall that he towered over all the realms.
He placed his first foot step and measured all of earth and the underworld. His second foot step covered the heavens. Seeing that Vamana was actually Vishnu, and that he did not have anywhere to keep his foot the third time, Mahabali knelt down and requested Vamana to place the last step on his head. Vamana (Vishnu) did so, pushing Mahabali down into the netherworld.
Moved by Mahabali’s righteousness and devotion, Vishnu granted him rule over the underworld for all time to come and allowed Mahabali to meet his subjects once a year, which is believed to be during Onam.
How many days?
Onam is celebrated for 10 days and in Kerala schools, public and private offices are given holidays for this entire period. The first day, ‘atham’, and the tenth and final day, ‘thiruvonam’, are the most important days of the festival. This year ‘thiruvonam’ falls on September 4.
Unique celebrations
The most followed tradition of Onam is the making of a flower carpet on the floors in homes, offices and schools. Made in a circular shape and known as ‘athapookalam’, this carpet welcomes King Mahabali as he visits his subjects. People get creative with the designs and competitions are organised across the state to award the best carpets.
The celebration is incomplete without impromptu visitors dressed as Mahabali, portraying the king observing his subjects and enjoying the celebrations. A kind of dance with men dressed as tigers, known as 'pulikali', is also a fun sight. The Onam sadya or feast is eaten on a banana leaf with rice and accompanying curries, salads and crisps.
In UAE
For Malayali expats in UAE and other countries, celebrations are not very grand owing to the lack of time and space. Yet, people take out time to make elaborate flower carpets in their offices or homes, wear new traditional clothes, make and have grand Onam banquets or sadyas.
