Onam is a harvest festival which celebrates the homecoming of the legendary King Mahabali. During Onam, which generally falls in late August or early September, the entire Kerala is decked up with Athapookkalam and lights.
The legend of King Mahabali is the most popular and fascinating of all legends behind Onam. The festival celebrates the visit of King Mahabali to the state of Kerala every year.
The festival is celebrated in the Malayalam calendar month of Chingam, which starts from Atham and lasts for 10 days till Ponnonam. Apart from being the harvest festival, Onam is also is the main festival of Kerala.
According to folklore, Onam is a festival connected with the return of the mythical demon king Mahabali under whose reign everyone lived in happiness and equality.
Legend of King Mahabali
According to the local mythology, Kerala was once ruled by an Asura (demon) king Mahabali, also known as Maveli and Onathappan. Mahabali, despite being a demon king, was said to be generous and benevolent.
His rule was likened to the golden era as everyone was happy and there was no discrimination on the basis of caste or class. There was no poverty, sorrow, crime or corruption.
It is believed that Mahabali defeated the gods and took over the three worlds. With his growing popularity and fame, the Gods became extremely concerned and jealous. They felt threatened about their own supremacy and urge Lord Vishnu to help them in their fight against the demon king.
Mahabali was a devotee of Lord Vishnu and was very generous and charitable. Vishnu, in his Vamana (poor Brahmin) avatar, visited Mahabali to test the Kind. He made the king agree to his wish.
Disguised as Vamana, Vishnu said he was a poor Brahmin and asked for a piece of land measuring “three paces”. Mahabali agreed to this wish.
The Vamana avatar then grew in size and covered everything the king ruled in just two steps. To keep his word and honour, Mahabali offered his head for the third step.
Impressed by his gesture, Lord Vishnu allowed him to return to Earth once every year. The day of his visit to Kerala is celebrated as Onam every year.
What Do People Do on Onam?
Keralites celebrates Onam wearing traditional clothes, preparing sumptuous feasts and laying colourful floral carpets in the courtyards. Onam is the rice harvest festival in Kerala and all the ten days of the celebrations has its own significance.
On the occasion of “Thiru Onam”, the most auspicious day of the 10-day-long festival, people visit temples in large numbers, cutting across villages and towns in the morning.
The characteristic floral designs ‘pookkalam’ are symbolic of the festival. People make different types of patters in their houses with flowers and light lamps to invite King Mahabali to their house.
Sadya, a multi-course meal served on banana leaves, is one of the biggest highlights of Onam. The meal consists of rice along with different dishes, pickles, papads and a sweet dish called ‘payasam’. The festival also sees people taking part in boat races called Vallam Kali.
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