Onam Celebrations Start Today

Onam is one of the main festivals celebrated in the Indian state of Kerala. Onam, also known as the harvest festival, is a way for people to express gratitude towards the land for providing a good harvest. It is celebrated by Hindus in the month of Chingam, as per the Malayalam calendar. According to the Gregorian Calendar, the festival falls in the months of August and September. This year, Onam starts on August 29. 

Onam celebrations last for 10 days, during which people decorate their houses with flowers of different colours, making them look like rangolis. These flower arrangements are called “Pookalam”. To celebrate the festival, people also gift new clothes to family members and relatives, prepare extravagant vegetarian dishes and visit nearby temples. Snake Boat Race or Vallam Kali, is a popular attraction of the Onam festival. Many types of longboats participate in the race and compete with one another. 

The celebration of Onam is associated with Hindu mythology. It is believed that people started celebrating Onam to welcome back the demon king Mahabali, from the netherworld. Mahabali was banished into the netherworld by one of Lord Vishnu’s avatars called Vamana. Mahabali was a benevolent king and catered to the needs of his subjects. Before being banished, he received a boon from Lord Vishnu which allowed him to reunite with his subjects during Onam.