Onam is a true festival of Kerala. Find out the story behind Onam!!

Onam is a harvest festival that falls in August/September annually, it is celebrated all over the world by the Malayalees being it, the main festival for them. According to the Malayali calendar month of Chingam, the festival falls on the 22nd Nakshatra Thiruvonam and marks the beginning of the Malayalam year, called Kolla Varsham. The festival starts on the day known as Atham and ends on the tenth day, known as Thiru Onam or Thiruvonam, also the most auspicious day during the festival of Onam. Onam marks King Mahabali’s visit to his people. This 10-day festival is a joyous time for all Malayalees, who welcome their king on this day.

The Story

Mythology says that King Maha Bali, the grandson of Prahalada defeated the Gods and began ruling over all three worlds. King Mahabali was a demon king who belonged to the Asura tribe. The kind-hearted king was much-loved by the people. The Gods got insecure about King Mahabali’s popularity and asked Lord Vishnu to step in and help contain Mahabali.
Once, Maha Bali was performing a yagna, when a short, young, radiant boy (Lord Vishnu) entered the yagna. Lord Vishnu took on his fifth avatar, in the form of the Brahmin dwarf Vamana, and paid a visit to King Mahabali. King Mahabali asked Vamana what he wished for, to which Vamana responded, “three pieces of land”. When Vamana was granted his wish, he grew in size, and in his first and second pace respectively, he covered the sky, and then the hell. When Lord Vishnu was about to take his third pace, King Mahabali offered his head to God. The Lord understanding his attitude of surrender blessed him and sent him to Pathala with a promise of making him Indra in the next Manvanthara and he would guard the gates of Pathala. Vishnu permitted Maha Bali to return to his kingdom from Pathala, once every year, to be in the midst of his people. This day is celebrated as the Onam festival.

Rituals of Onam

During this ten-day festival, devotees bathe, offer prayers, wear traditional clothes — women of the household wear a white and gold saree. Participate in dance performances, draw flower rangolis called pookkalam and cook traditional feasts called sadya. Sadya is served on banana leaves during Onam. The sumptuous sadya (an elaborate feast)is followed by kaikottikali ( a graceful dance), Tumbi tulle and other folk performances like kummatikali and Puli Kali.