The festival of Onam

9 Sep 2019

The festival of OnamOnam is an annual Hindu Harvest festival celebrated in Kerala. Malayalis in other parts India as well as in other countries also celebrate the festival.

Onam falls on the 22nd Nakshatra Thiruvonam in the Malayalam calendar month of Chingam, which falls on August–September in our regular Gregorian calendar.

People celebrate the festival to give thanks for the rice harvest. According to legends, the festival also celebrates the return of King Mahabali, whose spirit is believed to return to Kerala at the time of Onam.

This year, Onam is being celebrated from 1st to 13th September.
 	The festival is marked by various festivities which include boat races, tiger dances, flower arrangement, worship and more.

People also celebrate with folk songs and dances, etc.
 	Hindus also install an image of Thrikkakara Appan or Onatthappan (Vishnu in the form of Vamana) in their homes.
 	Families buy new clothes to wear on the occasion and have feasts with special food.
 	Even though it is a Hindu festival, Christians and Muslims in Kerala also celebrate it as a cultural festival.

Onam has also become a popular tourist attraction and many tourists visit Kerala during this time to observe the celebrations.

Do you celebrate Onam? Tell us about it

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Onam is an annual Hindu Harvest festival celebrated in Kerala. Malayalis in other parts India as well as in other countries also celebrate the festival. […]

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