Malayalees across the world are marking the biggest occasion that unites them ¨C Onam. The annual harvest festival is celebrated in the first month of the traditional Malayalam calendar, Chingam.?Onam is a ten-day festival that starts on the day of Attham in the month of Chingam and culminates on the day of Thiruvonam.?
The day of Onam is marked by the preparation of special floral carpets called Onapookkalam, traditional songs, dances, games, and most importantly, the feast called Onasadhya.??
The festival of Onam is intertwined with Hindu mythology and the Vamana Avatar of Lord Vishnu. But the hero of the Onam story is the Asura king Mahabali, also known as Maveli. According to the legend, King Mahabali ruled a prosperous kingdom, which is today¡¯s Kerala. His popularity even rattled the Gods, who went to Lord Vishnu seeking his help. Since King Mahabali was a devotee of Lord Vishnu, he decided to test the Asura king. To do this, Lord Vishnu disguised himself as a dwarf Brahmin. Vamana then went to King Mahabali and requested to be granted three feet of land for his meditation.
Mahabali happily obliged and asked Vamana to measure the land he requested. Upon this, the dwarf grew into a giant and, in two steps, measured the entire Earth and the skies. When Vamana asked Mahabali where he should measure his third foot, the king bowed down and offered his head. Pleased by this gesture, Lord Vishnu granted King Mahabali his wish to visit his subjects once every year.??
Though special prayers are offered at almost all Hindu temples on the occasion of Onam, the most famous is at the Thrikkakkara Vamana Moorthy Temple in Ernakulam district. Thrikkakkara, which translates to "the land of the holy feet," is believed to be the place where Lord Vishnu sent King Mahabali to the netherworld.??
Onapookkalam is a traditional flower carpet that is integral to Onam celebrations. The first Onapookkalam is prepared on the day of Attham and continues till the day of Thiruvonam. The colorful display of flowers is a symbol of welcoming the returning King Mahabali.??
Perhaps the most famous part of Onam celebrations is the Onasadhya, the banquet served on a banana leaf. The Onasadhya includes boiled rice accompanied by around a dozen curries, pickles, banana chips, and one or more varieties of Payasam.??
Onam is also incomplete without traditional songs and dances reminiscing the golden days of Mahabali's rule.?
In the cultural capital of Kerala, Thrissur, Onam is marked in a unique way with Pulikali, which means "tiger¡¯s dance," a dance performance on the streets where hundreds of men dress up as tigers and leopards, with masks and stripes painted all over their bodies.
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