The Onam Festival: Why it is Significant and How it is Celebrated

August 20, 2024

Every year, between August and September, the State of Kerala prepares for Onam, a harvest festival enjoyed by all Malayalis, not just in Kerala but across the world.

While the origins of the festival are subject to different interpretations, the story of the legendary king Mahabali, his banishment to the netherworld, and his yearly visits to Kerala, the site of his former mighty kingdom, is the most captivating one. The festival also comprises a wide range of traditions and activities.
Allow us to briefly educate you on the mythology, festivities, and celebrations surrounding this joyous festival!

King Mahabali’s Homecoming from the Underworld

The majority of Malayalis celebrate King Mahabali's return to Kerala from the Underworld on this day. He was a kind, fair, and knowledgeable ruler who brought prosperity to the Malayali people. To test his devotion, the Lord Vishnu took on the form of Vamana, the dwarf.

Vamana approached King Mahabali as he was celebrating his triumphs and offering presents to his subjects, and he requested "three steps of land"; the King granted his request. Then Vamana grew to a gigantic form, covering all of Earth with his first step and all of heaven with his second. Vishnu, finally revealing himself, asked Mahabali where he was to place his final step. As a sign of his complete loyalty and devotion to Lord Vishnu, the King gladly provided his own head.

With his final step, Vishnu sent Mahabali to the Underworld (Patalam), but because of the King's selflessness and devotion, Lord Vishnu allowed him to visit Kerala once a year and be with his people. The tenth day of Onam, or Thriuvonam, is when people celebrate his return.

Why is Onam Significant to Malayalis?

Onam is celebrated with great fever by Malayalis in all different corners of the globe. Here are a few reasons why:

Celebration of Unity and Harmony

During the Onam season, you will find people from all walks of life wishing each other “Happy Onam”, helping each other out with grocery shopping, buying payasam –sweet puddings-- in bulk from famous restaurants, amongst other things. Therefore, it is a time where there is a feeling of togetherness and camaraderie amongst the Keralite people – something always worth celebrating and cherishing.

Community Bonding

The Malayali community consists of people living in different cities, different States, and even different countries. Onam season provides them an opportunity to come back home to their families, strengthening social bonds in the process.

Remembrance of a Golden Age

The celebration of Onam is associated with the legendary reign of King Mahabali, who is said to have ruled Kerala during a period of great prosperity, harmony, and justice. The celebration honors this righteous king and his principles, placing a special emphasis on justice, charity, and the well-being of all.

Cultural Heritage

There are several Malayalis living in different countries who would be feeling distant from their roots; getting together with other Malayalis during Onam provides them an opportunity to collectively recollect and recreate Kerala's rich cultural heritage, far away from home. Moreover, ritualizing the traditional art forms, music, and dance performances emblematic of the festival helps preserve and amplify the cultural fingerprint of Kerala.

Agricultural Celebration

Onam traditionally has been and still is celebrated during the harvest season, right after the monsoons bless the farmers with a bountiful harvest. The celebrations, therefore, offer gratitude for and celebrate the agricultural abundance.

Feasting and Sharing

The grand Onam Sadya (feast) allows the community to feed and share with each other delicious traditional Kerala food. This also offers the State an opportunity to boost sales for restaurants and catering centers – thereby helping the economy out.

Onam, therefore, is marked by various customs and practices that have been passed down through generations, and connect the Malayali people to their roots. The elaborate celebrations and traditional performances uplift the people’s spirits and provide a well-needed break from their routines. To conclude, Onam is significant to Malayalis because it lets them celebrate their State’s shared history and cultural diversity while promoting values of generosity, inclusiveness, and respect.

Allow us to introduce some of the core traditions of the Onam festival!

Traditions associated with Onam Celebration

Pookalam (Floral Carpet)

People decorate the entrances of their homes with Pookalams, intricate and beautiful floral designs, with additional layers added onto it over ten days. While the most pookalams have a set pattern with ten rings of contrasting colors, others feature fancier designs like drawings of Mahabali, film-stars, and even company logos.

Onam Sadya (Feast)

Onam Sadya is a lavish and delectable vegetarian feast served on banana leaves. It is considered as a symbol of unity, as it brings together people from all walks of life. It comes with rice and about twenty to thirty different dishes, comprising appetizers, curries, pickles, and sides.

The grand meal concludes with payasam, a sweet pudding that tastes great with crushed papadams and bananas. Typically, people are sat cross-legged on mats that are spread out on the ground and eat with the cupped fingers of their right hands.

Vallam Kali (Boat Race)

Kerala's famous and traditional canoe races, known as "Vallam Kali," are a highlight of Onam celebrations. Teams of oarsmen paddle traditional war canoes and longboats across the different water bodies of Kerala. The most famous race happening in this season is Nehru Trophy Boat Race and is held on the Punnamda Lake, near Alappuzha.

Pulikali (Tiger Dance)

Pulikali is a traditional folk performance that features street performers, both professionals and amateurs, who paint themselves and their pot-bellies, in vibrant colors, as tigers and hunters. They then dance to music made by traditional instrumentals like udukku and chenda!

Onathappan

Onathappans are clay pyramids representing King Mahabali. As it is believed that the spirit of Mahabali visits Kerala during Onam, the Onathappan is meant to honor the King’s presence and is often placed at the center of the pookalam.

Onam Games and Competitions

Several fun games and competitions are organized during the festival, like sack races and tug-of-war (knows as Vadamvali in Malayalam), bringing together communities and adding excitement and fun to the celebrations. Onathallu, or Onam Fight, features kalari inspired choreographed martial dances; you might even encounter proper bouts – all in good fun, of course!

Onam Clothes

Onam is the time when people shop for and adorn themselves with new clothes. The traditional attires usually worn during this season are white and gold-bordered saris for women and white mundus (a dhoti-like garment) with golden borders for men.

Onam Songs and Performances

Folk dances and songs are performed throughout Kerala to showcase its rich cultural heritage by narrating the story of King Mahabali and the Malayali people. Kaikottikali, or clap dance, welcomes the arrival of the King; women, dressed In sarees, dance in a circle around a lamp, called Thiruvathira; Kathakali is performed by dancers in green face paint, narrating well-known myths and folktales; and lastly women dance around a pookalam imitating the movements of butterflies and singing Onam-themed songs – this dance form is named Thumbi Thullal or Butterfly Dance.

These festivities and activities come together to create a lively and joyous atmosphere that strengthens Keralites’ sense of solidarity and pride in their heritage.

Conclusion

If you would like to experience the beauty of Onam and its significance to the Malayali population, come to Kerala and revel in them both for yourself! Become a part of Kerala’s social fabric as you partake in the different games, wear the traditional clothes, and enjoy the Onam sadya. There are several luxury resorts around Kerala that can immerse you in the Onam experience and also offer a plethora of indoor and outdoor activities to boot!