Popularly known as “God’s own country”, the state of Kerala is truly a heaven on earth and carries a rich cultural heritage. Kerala celebrates various festivals every year but the one festival that stands out from the crowd is the annual harvest festival of Onam.
Bringing in the true spirit of brotherhood, the 10-day festival is celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy in various places in and outside India. However, the only way to witness the originality of Onam is to experience the festival in its state of origin, Kerala. Here’s a glimpse of what experiencing Onam in Kerala would be like.
What Is The Significance Of Onam Festival?
Onam is the annual harvest festival of the Malayalis, which also marks the welcome of the spirit of the mythological King Mahabali. It is a grand 10-day festival, with Thiruvonam (the tenth day of Onam) being the main day of the festival. Onam is considered the “National Festival of Kerala” and is celebrated with great pomp. There’s feasting of delicious food, cultural dances, and many more events that happen during these ten days all around the state. You must visit Kerala to witness the joy and excitement with which it is celebrated.
When Is Onam Celebrated And Why?
Observing the Chingam month of the Malayalam calendar, Onam falls between August and September of the Gregorian calendar. Now coming to why this festival is celebrated, well, there’s an interesting story behind it. As per legends, Mahabali, a powerful demon king took over the three worlds by defeating the Gods. He was a mighty benevolent ruler that the people in his kingdom eventually stopped approaching the Gods for their needs. Enraged by this all the Gods requested Lord Vishnu to do something about it.
One day, Mahabali announced that he would grant all the wishes of his people. So, Lord Vishnu decided to take this up as an opportunity to test Mahabali and went to him in his Vamana Avatar (a small Brahmin lad). He wished to get as much space as his three footsteps would cover. Surprised by this unusual wish, the king agreed.
Soon after, Vamana grew gigantically in size and took the first footstep to cover the entire Earth and second to cover the skies. For the third footstep, there was no space left. This mystical act made the king realize that Vamana was no ordinary kid but an incarnation of Lord Vishnu himself.
Since it was almost sinful to back out from a vow, he came ahead and asked Vamana to take the third step on his head. The Lord took the last step and sent Mahabali to Suthalam (alternative heaven). King Mahabali accepted this but requested Vamana to let him visit his land once every year. So, Onam is celebrated to commemorate the visit of the spirit of King Mahabali to his land to meet his people.
Top Attractions Of Onam In Kerala
If you’re in Kerala during the festival of Onam, then here are some of the top attractions you should not miss out on.
Athachamayam
Marking a grand start to the 10-day Onam celebrations is the glorious procession of Athachamayam. It’s called so because it marks the first day of Onam, i.e. Atham. You’ll see a majestic parade showcasing the culture and traditions of Kerala through some captivating art forms.
Atham marks the beginning of the festivities for the welcome of King Mahabali’s spirit. With the hoisting of the festival flag, drums, and the panchavadyam (orchestra of 5 traditional instruments) playing, the parade is full of people dressed up in folk costumes and dolled-up elephants. It starts from Thripunithura and goes all the way to the Thrikkakara Temple. Athachamayam is a sight you must see!
Vallamkali
Vallamkali or snake boat race of Kerala is a world-famous event that begins on Anizham (the fifth day of Onam). Whether you’re visiting Kerala for Onam or not, this event has to be on your itinerary. You can witness several colorfully decorated snake boats called Chundan Vallams that are rowed by hundreds of oarsmen competing against each other in the River Pamba.
Even if one of the oarsmen slips out of rhythm it could lead to the boat capsizing, so the sync of the oarsmen must really be appreciated. Lakhs of people from within and outside India come to witness this spectacular event that starts from River Pamba. Some of the best boat races to watch are the Nehru Trophy and the Aranmulla Uthrittathi, which is the oldest boat race with over 50 snake boats competing.
Thrikkakara Temple
One of the main popular attractions to witness during Onam is the Thrikkakara temple in Kochi. Housing the idol of Vamana as the main deity, this temple is closely associated with the Onam celebrations. A day before Thiruvonam (the tenth day of Onam), the temple hosts a special event called Pakalpooram, during which there happens to be a parade within the temple premises.
Just like the previous 8 days, Pakalpooram kickstarts by hoisting the festival flag. Following this, the sacred idol of Vamana is carried on the elephant leading the herd of caparisoned elephants. Lined up with traditional dances of people in folk attires, music, and other cultural events, the temple possesses an enchanting beauty on this day. A visit to this temple during Onam offers a different charm and aura that you won’t find on any other day.
Pulikali
Get ready to witness one of the quirkiest and most enthralling events of Onam– Pulikali or the ‘play of the tigers’ or Kaduvakali. In this event, grown-up men paint their bodies with stripes of orange, red, yellow, and black, dress up as tigers, and dance to the rolling beats of traditional instruments like Chenda, Thakil, and Udukku. They even host competitions to declare the best dancer and the best-dressed tiger.
The men are required to get rid of their body hair and it takes about 4 hours of patience to completely paint the body of one man. Removing the paint is a risky task because it comes off only with kerosene. Pulikali might seem like a child’s play, but there’s a lot of work that goes into the 200-year-old art form. And, the best place to watch this play is at the Swaraj Round in Thrissur.
Traditional Dance
Other than Pulikali and the various dance forms that you might have heard of, various other attractive traditional dances take place, especially during Onam.
- Thiruvathirakali: This is a dance form in which women dress up in traditional sarees called Kasavu Mundus or sarees, and gracefully dance to devotional songs encircling the Nilavillakku, a standing lamp.
- Kummattikali: In this form of dance, people dress up in traditional costumes and colorful masks of Lord Krishna, Darika, Kiratha, Narada, and other Hindu deities and dance to folk music. This event can be mostly seen in Thrissur.
Pookalam
Pookalam or Onapookalam is the Keralite version of the colorful carpet of rangoli. Except, in this version, the rug is decorated with flower petals. The Pookalam progresses in size and design over each passing day of the Onam festival. The first layer of the floral carpet is laid on the first day of Atham with only yellow petals called Athapoo and is followed by different colored petals every other day till the last day of Thiruvonam. On the eighth day of Poorada Uttigal, a clay statue of Mahabali is placed in the middle of the Pookalam and is decorated with flowers, as a gesture to welcome King Mahabali to his land.
Onasadhya
No Onam is ever complete without an Onasadhya. Imagine a banana leaf studded with over 25-30 varieties of dishes spread over it. That is exactly what Onasadhya, the traditional feast looks like. Mouth-watering isn’t it? Shopping for fresh fruits, vegetables, and other ingredients required for the feast begins from Vishakham (the fourth day) itself. Some of the dishes prepared for the feast include sambar, rice, aviyal, olan, dal, pachadi, coconut chutney, injipuli, and various other vegetarian delicacies. And, just like how every meal is incomplete without a dessert, Onasadhya is complete only with a glass of payasam (sweet pudding).
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Summing Up
From Attachamayam to Onasadhya, each of these celebrations makes Onam special. Onasadhya and Pookalam are something you will get to see at every other Malayalee’s house on Onam in or outside Kerala. And, you can only completely soak in the spirit of Onam when you’re in Kerala to behold its cultural beauty. So why wait? Pack a bag, get going, and enjoy!
FAQs
How Is Onam Celebrated In Kerala?
In Kerala, Onam the annual harvest festival is celebrated with color and enthusiasm. Onam in Kerala is celebrated for 10 days with various events and rituals spread over these 10 days. Some of the events are Athachamayam, Pakalpooram, Pulikali, and Vallamkali.
What Is The Onam Festival In Kerala?
Onam is celebrated to signify the harvest season of the state. There’s also the mythical legend of King Mahabali who was defeated by Vamana and given the chance to visit his land once a year. And, the festival of Onam marks the welcome of the King’s spirit.
What Activities Are Held In Kerala On The Occasion Of Onam?
On the occasion of Onam, various activities like Vallamkali (boat race), Pulikali (play of the tigers), Kummatikali (masked folk dance), Onathallu (martial arts), Tug of War, Thumbi Thulal (women’s dance), many others.
What Is The Most Important Festival In Kerala?
Onam festival is the main festival of Kerala. Celebrated between August and September, this festival marks the beginning of the harvest season.
Why Onam Is Celebrated For 10 Days?
It is believed that the mythological King Mahabali arrives in Kerala on the day of Thiruvonam, and so preparations are what takes place over the previous 9 days. So, Onam is celebrated over 10 days to glorify his arrival.
