ओणम
Onam
Onam is the ten-day harvest festival of Kerala, remembering the return of King Mahabali, with flower carpets, new clothes and a feast on banana leaves.
About
Onam is the great festival of Kerala and is celebrated by Malayalis all over the world. It is the state festival of Kerala. It takes place in the Malayalam month of Chingam, which starts around mid August, and it reaches its high point on the day when the Thiruvonam nakshatra (the star called Shravana in Sanskrit) rises. The Chingam month is solar, so Onam falls in late August or September each year, and the exact day changes with the star.
The festival runs for ten days, beginning on Atham, the day of the Atham star, and ending on Thiruvonam. Many people take part regardless of religion or background, which is one of the loveliest features of Onam.
Significance and stories
The central story is that of Mahabali, a generous and much-loved king, an asura (a being of the demon clan) who was devoted to Vishnu. Under his rule, the story says, everyone was prosperous and content. The gods grew concerned about his growing power, and Vishnu came as the dwarf Brahmin Vamana. Vamana asked the king for three steps of land. The king agreed. Vamana then grew to a vast size, covering the earth with the first step and the sky with the second. For the third, Mahabali offered his own head. Vishnu was moved by his devotion and granted him a boon: he could visit his people once every year.
Onam is the time of that visit. The festival welcomes Mahabali home and remembers a time of fairness and plenty. Tellings of the story differ, and some stress the king's humility more than others.
Onam is also a harvest festival, a time of thanks for the land as the monsoon eases.
How to observe (puja vidhi)
- Atham. On the first day, clean the front of the house and make a small pookalam, a circular carpet of flower petals, at the entrance.
- The next days. Add a new ring or a new type of flower to the pookalam each day, so that it grows larger as Thiruvonam approaches.
- Preparing for Thiruvonam. Clean the home, buy new clothes and gather the food for the feast.
- Thiruvonam morning. Bathe early, wear new clothes (many wear the cream and gold kasavu style), and light the lamp.
- Onathappan. On Uthradom, the day before Thiruvonam, many families place small clay figures called Onathappan (linked with Vamana and Mahabali) in the courtyard, with a lamp, flowers and rice flour paste. The figures and the offering are a welcome for Mahabali.
- The feast. Serve Onasadya, the feast on banana leaves, and share it with family and guests.
- Games and arts. Take part in the Onam games, songs, dances such as Thiruvathirakali, and watch boat races if you are in Kerala.
Customs differ between households and regions. Follow your own family's way.
Puja items (samagri)
- Fresh flowers in many colours for the pookalam, or coloured rice powder
- A lamp (nilavilakku), oil or ghee and wicks
- Rice flour paste for the doorstep
- A clay figure of Vamana or Onathappan, where this is your custom
- Banana leaves for the feast
- New clothes, often in cream with a gold border
- Ingredients for the sadya: rice, lentils, vegetables, coconut, jaggery, banana, ghee and milk
Fasting and food
Onam is a feast, not a fast. The famous meal is the Onasadya, a vegetarian feast served on a banana leaf. A full sadya can have many dishes, including rice, sambar, avial, thoran, pickles, banana chips, and one or more payasams (sweet milk or jaggery puddings). The number of dishes varies by household; some serve a handful and others serve a great many.
Dishes have set places on the leaf, and payasam is served towards the end of the meal. Anyone with a health condition, and pregnant or nursing women, children and elders, should follow their doctor's advice about food.
Regional customs
Customs vary by district and family. Popular events of the season include Vallam Kali (snake boat races), Pulikali (the tiger dance), Thiruvathirakali (a graceful group dance by women) and community games. Pookalam designs range from a small circle at the door to very large community carpets.
Onam is the same festival for Hindus, Christians, Muslims and others in Kerala, though each group may add its own touches. Follow your family's custom.
Not every Malayali household is Hindu, and not all treat Onam as a religious festival. Many see it as a cultural and seasonal celebration of the whole state.
Celebrating in the USA
Thiruvonam often falls on a weekday. Malayali associations in many American cities hold Onam events on a nearby weekend, often in a community hall, with a large sadya, a pookalam competition and cultural programmes. Look for your local association.
At home, make a pookalam on a tray with flowers from a grocery store or florist, or with coloured rice. Banana leaves are available frozen at most Indian grocery stores. A smaller sadya with three or four dishes and a payasam is a perfectly good Onam meal. If you cannot take the day off, do the pookalam in the morning and the meal in the evening.
Do
- Make the pookalam fresh each day, and keep it simple if time is short.
- Wear new or clean traditional clothes on Thiruvonam.
- Invite neighbours and friends, including those from other communities.
- Prepare the sadya with care and share it widely.
- Remember Mahabali's qualities of generosity and fairness.
- Visit elders and offer small gifts.
- Teach children the story and the songs.
Don't
- Do not treat the festival as a religious test, since it is open to all.
- Do not waste food on the leaf.
- Do not step on or disturb the pookalam once it is made.
- Do not skip the cleaning of the house and the entrance.
- Do not argue over small details of ritual on the day.
- Do not leave lamps unattended.
Related
Customs differ between families, regions and traditions. This page describes common practice; follow your family’s tradition and your priest’s guidance.