Onam

Pukalam - traditional ornament of flowersOnam is a colorful harvest festival celebrated in Kerala. According to legend, the mythical king of ancient Kerala, Mahabali, or Maveli, comes to its lands on the day of Thiruvonam, and his devotees celebrate the Golden Age, which lasted in those days. His kingdom flourished, and the king reached unprecedented power. The gods were frightened by his growing popularity and began to ask for help from Lord Vishnu, whom Mahabali worshipped. Vishnu appeared to him in his fifteenth avatar of the poor brahmana, the dwarf Vamana, when the king, after his morning prayer, gave alms to the brahmanas. Vishnu, disguised, asked for a piece of land, which he would cover with three steps, and the king promised to fulfill this request. Suddenly, Vamana grew to an immense size. In one step he covered the whole earth, in the second he covered the whole heaven, and thus covered the whole universe. Then he wondered where he could find a place to take the third step. The king realized that the dwarf was no ordinary brahmana and asked him to put the third step on his head. Vishnu fulfilled the king’s request and granted him mercy. With his foot placed on the head of Mahabali, Vishnu pushed him into the underworld, the patala. This blessing freed the king from the cycle of birth and death, and therefore on the feast of Onam it is customary to replace worn clothes with new ones. People decide to live a new life, to be honest, pious, loving and humble.

King Mahabali, deeply devoted to his people, promised to visit Kerala every year. Since then, he has returned home every year for the Onam holiday. Patterned flower carpets called pukalam are laid out in front of houses. The tradition of laying flowers at the doorsteps of houses is very popular in Kerala, and these beautiful short-lived works of art are maintained throughout the ten-day festival by adding a variety of fresh flowers of various colors daily, laying out which girls sing folk songs.

The rich folklore of Kerala residents is fully reflected in the Onam festival. Here you can see the national costume, try folk cuisine, watch traditional games and dances, see the parade of elephants and boat races, and, of course, hear folk songs.