Onam festival is celebrated with great pomp in South India especially in Kerala. Onam is celebrated especially for good crop yields in the fields. Onam is also special because it is not worshiped in the temple but at home.
Mythological beliefs of Onam
There is a mythological belief behind celebrating Onam. It is said that there was an Asura king named Mahabali in Kerala. Onam festival is celebrated in his honor. Onam festival has a deep connection with agriculture and farmers. Farmers worship Shravan Devta and Pushpadevi for the protection of their crops and good yield. The joy of harvest brings a new hope and confidence in the minds of the people.
How is the Onam festival celebrated?
These days special cleaning of the entire house is done. After this people decorate the whole house with flowers. The program of decorating the houses with flowers lasts for a full 10 days. People also make Rangoli with flowers on their doors.
A traditional feast ceremony is organized during Onam festival. Apart from sweet delicacies, nine delicious dishes are prepared in this ceremony in which pachadi kallam, ollam, dao, ghee, sambar, banana and papad chips are mainly made. These dishes are served on banana leaves. This food is called Onam Sadhya. People wish their friends, relatives and family members on this festival.
The festival of Onam is celebrated by Malayalis with great pomp and enthusiasm. In the year 2022, Onam will be celebrated on 8th September, Thursday. On this day, people celebrating the festival of Onam make beautiful rangolis from flower petals in the courtyard of their homes. In the local language these rangolis are called 'Pookalam'.
Along with this, people also install the idol of King Mahabali in their homes during this time because people believe that during the festival of Onam, King Bali comes back to earth from Hades to meet his subjects. This idol of King Bali is installed in the middle of Poolakam along with the idol of Vamana avatar of Bhagwan Vishnu.
| Related Name | Thiruvonam |
| Begins Tithi | Atham |
| Reason | Harvest Festival |
| Celebrations | Flower Decoration, Prayer at home, Prayer of Bhagwan Vishnu |
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