India's 'Onam Festival' www.deekpay.com

About the Eunan Festival

The Eunan Festival isIndiaOne of the most popular festivals in Kerala and the official festival of the state. This festival lasts for 10 days and is celebrated between August and September to mark the end of the monsoon and welcome the harvest season.

The festival also celebrates the return of King Mahabali, the mythical ruler of ancient Kerala, who is believed to be the fifth incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

The festival is celebrated in a big way on 30 streets of Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala. Both Hindu and non-Hindu communities participate in the Onam celebrations as it is considered more of a cultural festival than a religious one.

During these 10 days, parade ceremonies and performances are held all over the state. One of the highlights of the festival is the pookkalam, an intricate design made of flowers that is placed on the ground in front of houses to welcome King Mahabali.

During the festivals, locals organise colourful parades that showcase elements of Kerala's culture through elaborate floats and statues.

Other festive traditions include making donations to charities, buying new clothes and jewellery, exchanging gifts, visiting relatives and spending time with family during Anam. On this day, men and women also wear traditional costumes including Kerala Sarees and Mundus.

The main food eaten during the celebrations is Onam Sadhya, a nine-course meal that traditionally includes several vegetarian dishes served on banana leaves. The number of dishes served at the feast can be up to 30.

History of the Onam Festival

The festival has been a part of Kerala's culture for centuries. The earliest record of this festival is from around 800 years during the reign of the Kulasekhara Perumals.

However, there is evidence to suggest that Onam may have been celebrated as early as the 2nd century AD, but not in Kerala. Onam may have come to Kerala from a neighbouring country and some historians also believe that Onam may have come from abroad.

The Onam Festival is usually held between August and September.Dates of Onam Festival 2024: 5-17 September.

Legendary Stories of Onam Festival

Legend has it that the grandson of sage Prahlada, named Mahabali, defeated the gods and took over the three worlds of earth, heaven and hell.

The gods were upset and requested Lord Vishnu to help them against Mahabali, but he refused because Mahabali was a good ruler and his devotee.

Mahabali fulfilled the ritual promises after his victory over the gods and vowed to fulfil any request from anyone. To test Mahabali's loyalty, Lord Vishnu approached him disguised as a dwarf boy named Vamana.

Wamana told Mahabali that all he needed was land that could be travelled in three steps. Mahabali agreed to fulfil his wish. Vamana (Vamana) later grew into a giant, covering all the land and water in one step and then the sky in another.

Vishnu's third step stepped Mahabali into hell, ending his rule over the three worlds.

Though he ended his reign, Lord Vishnu was pleased with Mahabali's dedication and decided to fulfil the king's wish to return to Kerala once a year to ensure that his people remained happy and clothed. Every year Mahabali's arrival is celebrated with the festival of Onam.

Celebration of the festival of Onam

During the 10-day celebration, Anam is celebrated in many ways, including prayers, cultural programmes, boat races, dance performances, and the creation of floral designs called pookkalam. Families often come together to participate in activities and perform specific rituals.

Here are the main traditions for each day of the Anam festival:

Day 1 - Atham

In Atham, Keralites would wake up early to bathe, offer prayers and start making their pookkalam or floral decorations to be placed on the ground in front of the house to welcome the king.

On this day, the pookkalam is usually small in size and is known as Athapoo. The design on the first day is very simple and only yellow flowers can be used.

The Tripunithura Athachamayam festival is also held on this day at the historic Tripunithura in Kochi. The celebrations include street parades showcasing various traditional Kerala art forms such as music, dance, carnival floats and decorated elephants.

Parade floats traditionally feature scenes from Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The procession usually travels from Tripunithura to the Vamanamoorthy temple in Thrikkakara. When the procession passes the temple, the celebrations stop and everyone stops to pray.

Families usually start creating their pookkalam on the first day by making simple shapes with flower petals on the floor in front of their home.

Day 2 - Chithira

The next day, two layers of orange and yellow flowers were added to the pookkalam. People will also clean their houses and visit temples. Traditionally, pookkalams were made with the ten sacred flowers of Kerala, but now a wide variety of flowers are used. People also clean their houses and visit temples on this day.

Day 3 - Chodhi

On the third day, another layer of flowers is added to the pookkalam and families will start buying new clothes and jewellery for each other. On this day, the ladies will wear Kasavu Sari (a traditional Kerala garment) while the men will buy mundu (a garment worn around the waist). Young girls wear Pattu Pavadai, a traditional dress that distinguishes young girls from married women.

Day 4 - Vishakam

The fourth day marks the beginning of the main festival, Onam Sadhya. Onam Sadhya is a 9-course meal consisting of 11 to 13 traditional dishes served on banana leaves. The number of dishes can be up to 26 or 30 for different families. Markets usually hold harvest sales during this time to attract customers, making them one of the busiest places in Kerala during the festival.

Day 5 - Anizham

On this day, a traditional snake boat race called Vallamkali is held. The Vallamkali race is held on the sacred Pampa River with a grand procession. People from all over Kerala come to watch the race and cheer for their teams. Famous ones are the Aranmula Uthratttathi Rowing Race and the Nehru Cup Rowing Race.

Day 6 - Thriketa

On the sixth day, people who have migrated out of the country will return to their ancestral homes to celebrate with their loved ones. They will also exchange gifts with each other.

Day 7 - Moolam

On the seventh day, families will visit each other and prepare a smaller version of Sadya. Hindu temples will also begin serving Onasadya, a religious vegetarian meal. Various traditional dance performances such as Puli Kali will be organised throughout the day.

Day 8 - Pooradam

On this day, small statues of Mahabali and Vamana are brought around the house and placed in the centre of the Pookalam. On this day, Mahabali is finally invited to visit people's homes. From this day onwards, the statue will be known as Onathappan.

Day 9 - Uthradam

This is the day when the preparations for the Onam festival are at their peak. According to legend, King Mahabali arrived in Kerala on this day. People celebrate this day by cleaning their houses and taking part in the final shopping.

Day 10 - Thiruvonam (Thiruvananthapuram)

Trivonam is the last day of the festival, when people put rice flour paste on the doors of their homes as a traditional sign of welcome. People also wear new clothes and make donations to the poor and needy. At night people also celebrate with bright lights and fireworks. In some parts of Kerala, people also perform folk music and dance.