Onam Festival: History, Celebration and Baby Names

Onam is the state festival of Kerala. It is among one of the biggest festivals in the state. Celebrated in the beginning of the first month of Kollavarsham i.e. the Malayalam Calendar,it falls in August- September according to Georgiancalendar. It is a harvest festival which is celebrated by almost all the communities in Kerala, celebrated from four to ten days in which the first day which is known as Atham and the tenth day which is known as Thiruonam are considered to be the most auspicious days of the festival. With dances, songs, feasts and games, this festival attracts many tourists to India. The week in which Kerala celebrates Onam has been declared as the “Tourist Week “for the State.

History and Myths

There is evidence that Onam came to Kerala from a neighboring state and was first celebrated in around 2nd century AD. Since then it has become the most auspicious festival for the people of Kerala. The legend behind this festival is that King Mahabali used to rule Kerala, He was an Asura, the Asuras are demons and considered to be the enemies of Devas (Hindu Gods). But he was a good ruler and Devas thought that if will continue to rule the kingdom, he will soon become very famous and become superior to the Devas. With this thought in mind, Devas went to Lord Vishnu, so that he can destroy Mahabali or Bali. Lord Vishnu agreed to it and went to Bali as a poor Brahmin boy named Vamana and destroyed him.

Celebration and Customs

This ten day long festival is a beautiful example of colorful high spirited people of Kerala.It is like very magnificent carnival which shows the richness of the culture of the people here. Manypreparations are done in order to celebrate Onam; Women create intricate designs in front of the doors and prepare a nine course meal called “Onasadya” which consists almost 13 dishes. It is served on banana leaves and people eat it while sitting on the floor.

Organized by River Pampa, this snake race locally called “Vallamkalli” is a world famous attraction during Onam. Apart from this people play traditional games known as Onakalikal during Onam. Womenperform traditional dances known as Kaikotti Kali and Thumbi Thullai and men play rigorous regional sports named Talappanthukali (a game played with a ball), Ambeyyal (Archer’s game) and combat games like Kayyankali and Attakalam. Some folk performances named Kummatti Kali and Pulikali can also be seen during this festival which adds more color and happiness to the whole scenario.

Activities and Dresses for Onam

Onam starts with buying new clothes in almost every household in Kerala. There is a tradition where elders gift new clothes to younger ones in the family. Men are gifted traditional Kasavu Mundu and women are gifted Kasavu sarees. These “sarees” and “mundus” are hand woven apparels with golden borders. Generally in shades of white these garments look pious and divine. Children are gifted “chittada” which is generally a small mundu.These days parents and elders also gift modern dresses as “Onnakodi” which means new dress. Parents teach their children about the stories of Onam and value of each day of Onam in their lives. This festival is a way where parents and children connect and enjoy. It is a way to pass cultural values through generations.