2014 Onam Date

[Marguerite Gilbeau]

Itis primarily a harvest festival observed in the month of Chingam that marks the beginning of the Malayalam calendar, Kollavarsham. On the Gregorian Calendar, it falls in the month of August-September.

According to the legend, this is when the powerful and benevolent King Mahabali came back from hell to the earth every year to meet his people since being sent to Patal (hell) by Vaman, a dwarf Brahmin avatar of Lord Vishnu. His revisit marks the 10-day-long celebration of Onam since the Sangam period in India.

For the year 2024, the Onam festival will commence on 05 September and will continue till 17 September. The main celebrations are due to occur on 15 September on Thiruvonam Day or the Sacred Onam Day.

The grand procession Athachamayam from Vamanamoorthy Thirrikara Temple in Kochi marks the beginning of the Onam celebrations. In households and temple premises, the designing of Pookalam commences, although subtly, with yellow flowers. In homes, people also install clay statues of Vamana and Mahabali in their dung-plastered courtyards.

It is the day of onnakodi or onappudava. New clothes and jewellery are bought and gifted to friends and family members. Women don Kasavu sarees, men wear mundu, and young girls receive Pattu Pavada. Yet another layer gets added to the Pookalam, and it continues to grow bigger and more detailed.

By this time, the state gets adorned with colours and lights all over. Many temples start offering Onasadya while households hold the feast on a smaller scale but with no less vigour. You can also see numerous performers on the street for Pulikali and Kaikottukali dances.

On this day, the devotees install statues of King Mahabali and Lord Vamana as a gesture to welcome Mahabali to all the houses. The clay pyramid-like structures fixed in the centre of Pookalam is also termed Onathappam.

All the celebrations of the past days reach the culmination point on Thiruvonam, the main day of Onam. A traditional welcome gesture is putting flour batter at the entrance so that King Mahabali can visit every household and give his blessings to his entire kingdom. The Pookalam is finally complete with all its details and colours. Alms are distributed to the poor and needy, and everyone gathers for the grandest feast Onasadya.

Locals also sing folk songs, stage traditional dance performances, and offer prayers to the deity of Vamana, Thrikkakara Appan, or Onatthappan. Moreover, there is the traditional grand feast Onasadya, serving an assortment of vegetarian dishes on banana leaves.

Pulikali, also known as Kaduvakali, is the highly energetic Leopard/Tiger dance. In this folk art, performers paint themselves as tigers and wear costumes in bright orange and yellow shades. Pot belly accoutrements are also worn. And then, to the thumping of the traditional percussion instruments such as Chenda, Thakil, and Udukku, the performers dance in procession, mimicking tiger movements.

Women clad in the traditional Kasavu saree and fragrant gajras perform this traditional dance. They dance in a circle surrounding Nilavilaku, a standing lamp, in grace and merriment. Thiruvathira Paattu (folk songs dedicated to Devi Parvati and Lord Shiva) accompanies them as they dance around.

Valluvanad, the place linked to the origin and development of the traditional dance form Kathakali, along with Cheruthuruthy town, sees a spur of cultural events during these ten days of Onam celebration. For the uninitiated, the classical dance form Kathakali revolves around acts from various mythological stories.

Pookalam literally translates to flowers (poov) and colour sketches (kalam). It is the beautiful and intricately decorated floral carpet, the laying of which is often seen as auspicious during Onam. It is similar to the Rangoli in North India, only being replaced by pinches of flower petals in various hues.

Women in households team up to decorate the floral map and put their artistic touch to beautify their homes and temple premises. When finished, they lit up lamps and place them in the middle or around the edges in a synchronized manner. Festoons and a miniature pandal (which looks like an umbrella) also make their way to the flower carpet.

A one of a kind of canoe racing, Vallam Kali, or snake boat (also locally known as chundan vallam) race is indispensable to celebrating the harvest festival. Oarsmen row the boats singing the boat songs Vachipaatu as the crowds on the banks cheer them on. A thrilling sight to witness, indeed!

Apart from the processions, dance, and musical performances, one of the festival highlights here is the Onasadya grand banquet. People from various religious sects join in the ceremonial spirit and enjoy a sumptuous meal, ending it with the mandatory payasam.

Down in the South, Thiruvananthapuram, or erstwhile Trivandrum, had been a prominent cultural hub for ages. No festival, including Onam, goes without a boisterous celebration in this city of diverse ethnicity. For the ten days of Onam, Pookalam competitions, theatrical performances, arts, handicrafts fairs, folk dance competitions, etc., pepper the whole city at over 20 locations.

The carnival takes a different turn from the road marching in Aranmula. The waters of the holy River Pamba and the racing boats along its length steal the show during Onam in this picturesque heritage village. Thousands of locals and tourists flock to the banks to witness this snake boat pageantry as rowers turn against each other in the rhythm of the drums and zealous boat songs.

Pulikali, the Tiger Dance, is one electrifying experience in Thrissur. Get a glimpse of the vibrant gathering near Swaraj Round. As locals don tiger attires and mimic tiger movement, the intoxicating performances and reverberating percussion beat infuse the atmosphere with festal vibes. A fun-to-watch event, you can join the revelry of the Tiger Play with scores of locals and tourists on the fourth day.

State-level programs were conducted in Thiruvananthapuram, and as advised by the Chief Minister, concerned departments were instructed to organize programs in a way that attracted people from outside Kerala.

Onam (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-smallfont-size:85%.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-smallfont-size:100%IPA: [oːɳɐm]) is an annual harvest and cultural festival related to Hinduism that is celebrated mostly by the people of Kerala.[4][5] A major annual event for Keralites, it is the official festival of the state[4][6] and includes a spectrum of cultural events.[7][8][4][9]

Onam commemorates Vamana (the fifth avatar of Hindu deity Vishnu) and the generous but egotistical daitya king Mahabali.[10][11] According to the Hindu legends, after Indra (the king of the devas) is defeated by Mahabali (the king of the asuras), the devas ultimately seek refuge in Vishnu, who agrees to restore Indra to power. To do so, Vishnu incarnates as a dwarf priest called Vamana. The king Mahabali (himself a devotee of Vishnu) conducts ritual prayers, one of which is attended by Vamana, who requests only three feet (steps) of land to build a fire-altar. Mahabali agrees, despite being told about Vamana's divine nature by the sage Shukra. Vamana grows in size, and in three strides, encompasses all of the universe and beyond. The three worlds are restored to Indra, and Mahabali and the asuras are banished to the netherworld (Patala).[12][13] However, witnessing Mahabali's love for his subjects, Vamana grants the king's sole wish to visit his kingdom once every year. This homecoming of Mahabali is celebrated as Onam in Kerala every year.[14][11]

The festival has ancient origins and is intricately linked with Hindu mythology.[16] Literary and epigraphical evidence suggests that Onam has a long religious context and history in Kerala and neighbouring parts of South India:[16]

चकुयन्ते पृथुकततयश्चपतदन्य उच्चै सर्वनर्यपतभरनशम् लम्भयन्त्यर्थकमन्

बभ्रम्यन्ते सकलपुरुषैर्वल्लभभ्य प्रदतुम् चत्रम् वस्त्रम् श्रवणकुतुकम् वर्तते केरळेषु

Gangs of lads, playing their bows hoot loudly again and again; All women make their husbands provide wealth and pleasure; All men are wandering hither and thither to present beautiful garments to their women. The festivity of 'Sravana' takes place in Kerala.

According to Hindu mythology, Mahabali was the great-great-grandson of a Brahmin sage named Kashyapa, the great-grandson of a demonic dictator, Hiranyakashipu, and the grandson of Vishnu devotee Prahlada. This links the festival to the Puranic story of Prahlada of Holika fame in Hinduism, who was the son of Hiranyakashipu. Prahlada, despite being born to a demonic Asura father who hated Vishnu, rebelled against his father's persecution of people and worshipped Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu tries to kill his son Prahlada, but is slain by Vishnu in his Narasimha avatar, Prahlada is saved.[22]

Vamana grew to an enormous size and covered everything Mahabali ruled over in just two paces. For the third pace, Mahabali offered his head for Vishnu to step on, an act that Vishnu accepted as evidence of Mahabali's devotion.[10] Vishnu granted him a boon, by which Mahabali could visit again, once every year, the lands and people he previously ruled. This revisit marks the festival of Onam, as a reminder of the virtuous rule and his humility in keeping his promise before Vishnu. The last day of Mahabali's stay is remembered with a nine-course vegetarian Onasadya feast.[10][25]

The name Thrikkakara is originated from 'Thiru-kaal-kara' meaning 'place of the holy foot'. The main deity at Thrikkakara Temple is Vamana, the smaller temple to the side has Shiva as the deity. Vamana temple is known as 'Vadakkum Devar' and the Shiva temple is known as 'Tekkum Devar'. A number of subsidiary deities have been installed at Thrikkakara Temple.[26] The 1961 census report on Onam festival states :[26]

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