Friday 26 October 2012

Onam, the Great Harvest Festival of Kerala


Onam is the state festival of Kerala. It is harvest festival that is celebrated in the Malayalam month of Chingam which is between August and September in the English calendar. The story behind Onam is that Mahabali, the legendary King of Kerala visits his beloved kingdom every year on the day of Onam. The kingdom prepares to receive him in all its grandeur. Flower bed called ‘pookalams’ are prepared in every house.’ Ona-sadya’ is the great feast that is prepared for this day.  Families gift each other ‘ona-kodi which are new dresses in Kerala traditional style. The celebrations take ten days and there are rituals specific to each day.

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