Onam festival guide

Month

Chingam (August–September)

Duration

About 10 days

Main day

Thiruvonam

State festival since

1961

The legend of Mahabali

Onam recalls King Mahabali, a generous and popular ruler of Kerala whose pride, the story says, needed to be checked. Lord Vishnu came to him as Vamana, a young Brahmin boy, and asked for as much land as he could cover in three steps. When granted, Vamana grew enormous: one stride covered the earth, the next the heavens. Mahabali then offered his own head for the third step. Pleased by this humility, Vishnu allowed him to visit his people once a year, and Onam welcomes him home.

When it happens

Chingam corresponds to August or September. Celebrations run from Atham, the first day, to Thiruvonam, the tenth and most important day. Kerala declared Onam its state festival in 1961, and the government marks the season with a tourism week of events.

How it is celebrated

Every morning families lay a pookalam, a circular carpet of flowers, at the front of the house, making it larger as the days go by. On Thiruvonam the Onasadya is served on banana leaves: many dishes of rice, curries, pickles and payasam, eaten together after prayers.

Women perform Thiruvathirakali, a graceful circle dance. In Thrissur, men painted as tigers dance through the streets for Pulikali. Kummattikali masked dancers go from house to house, and Vallamkali snake boat races bring huge crowds to the backwaters.

• Pookalam flower carpets
• Onasadya feast on banana leaf
• Thiruvathirakali dance
• Pulikali tiger dance
• Vallamkali snake boat races

Where to see it

Onam is celebrated all over Kerala. Thrissur is known for Pulikali, the backwater districts around Alappuzha for the boat races, and Thiruvananthapuram for the tourism week programmes. Hotels fill quickly during this period, so book early. We can plan a Kerala trip timed for Onam, including a stay where you can join a traditional sadya.

Where to experience it