Onam, The Festival Of Kerala

Onam is the harvest festival of Kerala which marks the homecoming of the King Mahabali and the festival lasts for ten days. Onam is linked to many elements of Kerala's culture and tradition which has been going on for the past. Intricate flower designs / Pookalams, elaborate lunch / sadya , Snake boat race, Puli Kali, and Kaikottikkali dance all play a part in celebrating Onam Festival. Nowadays Kerala Government is arranging a tourism week during the period to encourage tourism into Kerala.

Onam is a popular and famous festival of Kerala, it can also be said that Onam is the national festival of Kerala. The festival is celebrated by one and all in Kerala irrespective of caste, creed and religion. Each religion have their own way of celebrating Onam in Kerala. They are all in one mind welcoming their King Mahabali who gave them such a good reign and happy times. As the saying goes "Kaanam vittum Onam Unnanam", meaning that one has to eat a sadya / feast on an Onam day even if one had to sell his land for that. That much of importance has been placed on Onam Sadya on the Thiruvonam Day.

This is celebrated in Kerala during the Chinga Masam that is from the middle of August to the middle of September, for 10 days, from the star Atham of the malayalam calender to star Thiruvonam. Onam gets celebrated at the Thrikakkara Vamanamurthy temple which is dedicated to Lord Vamana and also coincides with the annual festival of the temple.

The mythology has it that their good old King Mahabali comes back to the kingdom to see his subjects every year during that period. The King not only a good and just one, was a very good devotee of Lord Vishnu. The Lord wanted to test Mahabali's unselfishness and altruism the Lord came down in the form of vamana and asked for a boon . The king accepted gracefully to the Lords verdict to send him to the patala. The Lord granted a boon to the King saying that he can come and visit his subjects every year and that is the time when Onam hets celebrated in Kerala.