Onam is celebrated after the monsoons for ten days in the state
of Kerala. It falls in the Malyali month of Chingam marking the end of the life-giving
monsoon and the advent of spring.
As all other Indian festivals have a story behind it, so does this festival.
King Mahabali through penance had achieved great powers. He was a just ruler and would
satisfy all the needs of the people of his kingdom. However the Gods feared his power and
growing might and they decided to take some action. The Gods approached Lord Vishnu for
help. Lord Vishnu adopted the form of a child and he asked King Mahabali for land equal in
area to his three footsteps. King Mahabali decided to accept the request. Lord Vishnu grew
in size and with one footstep he covered the entire earth, with his second footstep he
covered the Heavens. For the third footstep, there was no place for Lord Vishnu's foot.
King Mahabali offered his head to the incarnation of Vishnu. Vishnu placed his foot on
Mahabali's head and crushed him and sent him to the netherworld. Before King Mahabali was
crushed to death, he requested Lord Vishnu if he could visit his people on earth. It is
believed that on this day of Onam, King Mahabali returns to visit the people.
In order to welcome the king, people make great preparations. They clean their houses, new
clothes and ornaments are purchased and adorned. Typical keralite flower decorations
called onathappam are prepared. It is made of ten tiers, typically one tier for each day.
Decorations are also made from coconut leaves and coir.
A typical feast is also prepared on Onam day. It is served on banana leaves and consists
of sambaar, rasam, payasam and kootu. Another outstanding feature of the celebrations of
this festival is the traditional snake boat regatta. The slim boats are about 100 feet
long with a capacity of about 150 men. Black in colour, the boats are usually made of
anjili (Artocarpus hirsuta), but sometimes teak and kadamb (Naucleacadamba) wood is also
used. Traditional boat builders who inherit this art from their fathers and pass it down
to their sons make the boats. The boats are ornately designed and decorated with green and
scarlet silk umbrellas; their number denotes the affluence of the family to which they
belong. Gold coins, ornaments and tassels are hung from the umbrellas. An entire troop of
dancers, musicians and artists appear in a procession on barges. A Kathakali dance is
performed at night.
