THIRUONAM

ONAM is the state festival of Kerala. It is a 10 day long festival. The celebration of Onam start on Atham (Hasta Nakshtra) and on the tenth day Thiruonam is celebrated. It is the most auspicious day during the Onam festival which is marked by happiness, excitement and enjoyment among all sections of people. On this festival people of Kerala commemorates the imaginary annual visit of a mythical, righteous king-Mahabali from the nether world to meet his subjects. People forget their routine lethargy and engage themselves in cleaning their households, preparing onasadya and indulge in various games. Children have a ten day Onam holiday and they dart in the neighbourhood in search of flowers to make floral carpets (pookalam) that adorn their courtyards and an idol of Thrikkakkara Appan is placed in the middle of the pookalam. The central feature of Onam is the grand feast called onasadya prepared on Thiru Onam day. People sit on the floor and the onasadya is served on banana leaves, it is a nine- course meal consisting of eleven to thirteen essential dishes (the number of curries can be increased accordingly). There is a saying in Malayalam (the official language of Kerala) that “kaanam vittum Onam unnanam” which means ‘we should have the Thiru Onam lunch even if we have to sell all our properties’ which shows the importance of the grand lunch of this auspicious day. Onasadya is well known for being one of the most sumptuous feasts ever prepared by mankind. The afternoon is marked with various traditional Onam games. The rich cultural heritage of Kerala comes out in its best form and spirit during the Onam festival. The beauty of this festival lies in its secular fabric. People of all religion, castes and communities celebrate this festival with equal joy and verve.