Why Onam Is the Grandest Spectacle in Kerala

by Astro Ved Online Astrology Consultation

In the month of Chingam (August-September), as the monsoon season nears to a close, the tiny state of Kerala in south India gears up to welcome a royal personage from the underworld. He is none other than King Mahabali, who once ruled the land.

Legend behind Onam

Mahabali was a benign and just ruler who cared deeply for his subjects. During his reign, Kerala flourished, and people enjoyed prosperity and abundance. However, when his rise to power and his fame reached the ears of the gods in heaven, they felt alarmed. Mahabali was an Asura or demon king, and the grandson of Prahlada, a great Vishnu devotee. As he was an Asura, the gods did not want him to become powerful and overcome them. So they beseeched Vishnu to cut him down to size.

Lord Vishnu became a dwarf Brahmin, Vamana, and went down to earth. He approached Mahabali and asked for three measures of land which he could cover with his footsteps. Mahabali, who was known for his kindness and generosity, immediately agreed. At that instant, Vamana grew huge in size and covered the earth and the sky in two steps. When he asked Mahabali where he should keep his foot for the third step, as there was no more space, Mahabali knelt down and offered his head. At once, Vamana kept his foot on the king’s head and pushed him into the underworld. But, pleased with his devotion, Vishnu also allowed him to return to earth once a year and see his subjects. The day he returns to earth is celebrated as Onam.

Even now, the people of Kerala, who have grown up hearing this story, have great love and respect for King Mahabali. To show their affection for him and also to show him that they are living a prosperous and abundant life, they celebrate Onam for ten days, with great enthusiasm and fanfare. Truly, Onam is a grand spectacle in the state, with even the government getting into the act. With Pookalams, traditional song and dance forms of Kerala, folk arts, snake boat races, and Ona Sadya, Onam is a veritable smorgasbord of sensory experiences. Families and friends, even those in the diaspora, make it a point to come together for Onam and celebrate the festival. People of all faiths celebrate the festival, testifying to the social harmony in the state, which is known for its literacy and good social indices. Onam is also a harvest festival. This year (2020), Onam begins on August 22 and ends on September 2.

Onam Celebrations

Onam celebrations go on for 10 days. The first day of Atham and the last day of Thiruvonam are the most important days of the festival. The days that fall in between are Chithira, Chothi, Thriketa, Moolam, Pooradam, and Uthradom. The festivities begin on the day of Atham, at the Vamanamoorthy temple in Thrikkakara, Kochi. The temple is dedicated to Vishnu’s Vamana avatar.

The festival flag will be hoisted, and there will be colorful parades with floats and tableaux which showcase the various elements of Kerala culture. On the other days, there will be many activities like Pookalams or floral rangolis, cultural programs, dances, martial arts, boat races, Ona sadya (feast), etc. people wear traditional attire for Onam like the Mundu and Kasavu sari.

The Pookalams or floral rangolis add color to the festival of Onam. People, young and old, gather flowers growing in places nearby and make floral carpets on the ground in front of their house. A fresh one will be made every day. some may be simple, and others may be very elaborate, featuring intricate designs. Offices, colleges, and schools will conduct Pookalam competitions in which several teams vie to create the best design and win the top prize.

Women attired in Kasavu Mundu, the gold-bordered off-white sari unique to Kerala, and traditional jewelry, perform traditional dances like Kaikotti Kali and Thiruvathira Kali.

In small towns and villages, young men dance the Puli Kali, a folk dance in which some paint their bodies to resemble tigers or leopards, and others dressed as hunters and carrying dummy guns, enact a tiger hunt. This dance is a specialty of Thrissur. It also marks the end of the Onam festivities Thumbi Thullal and Kummatti Kali are other folk dances performed during Onam. In Kummati Kali, men wear wooden masks and use grass to cover themselves. They go to houses and perform, and the people of the household give them gifts like rice and jaggery. Thumbi Thullal and Thiruvathira Kali are dances performed by women, with singing and clapping. A traditional martial arts performance called Onathallu or Avittathallu is performed on Avittam nakshatra (star) day of Onam. Men of the Nair community, a warrior clan, take part in this performance, which is based on the traditional techniques of warfare practiced in bygone times. The men form pairs and wage physical combat, with loud cries, evoking a battle-like atmosphere.

Since Onam is the most important festival in Kerala, people living in other states and countries come home to spend quality time with their families and have fun. Ona Sadya, is one of the highlights of the festival. It is prepared on the day of Thiruvonam and features several dishes made using seasonal vegetables as well as freshly harvested rice. The dishes include parippu, sambar, rasam, aviyal, thoran, pachadi, olan, kalan, upperi, pulisseri, inji curry, and three types of payasam. It is indeed a royal feast worthy of a king.

Other Onam Activities

One of the most anticipated events of Onam is the Vallam Kali or boat race. It is a sight to behold several elegant snake boats slicing through the water in the famed backwaters of Kerala, manned by men wielding wooden oars and singing the Valla Pattu or boat song, as hundreds of spectators cheer them on. The Nehru boat race and Aranmula boat race are two of the most famous Onam boat races and make for grand spectacles. People from all over India and abroad come to watch the boat races.

Important buildings and many trees on major streets in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram will be illuminated with colorful lights for Onam. At night, the city looks like a faerie land, shimmering and twinkling in a myriad hues. It is truly a breathtaking sight! On the concluding day of the Onam festival, there will be a spectacular display of fireworks and a grand procession of floats featuring various tableaux by various organizations. Onam begins on August 22 in 2020 and ends on September 2.

Though many festivals are celebrated in India to mark religious and cultural occasions, there is no doubt that Onam is among the most spectacular in terms of its sheer grandeur. A land abundantly blessed with natural resources and a scenic beauty which has earned it the moniker, ‘God’s own country’, Kerala has always offered plenty of reasons for people to visit it. Among them, Onam is certainly one of the most compelling as it presents Kerala at its best, like a bride decked up in all her finery for her wedding day!