After a sumptuous meal wiped out of a banana leaf, my little son quizzed me on the importance of the day. “It is Onam” I said. Now!! Would that answer satisfy the petite yet absorbent brain of a six year old? So I had to get into details of what this festival meant to the people of Kerala.
Come June (Edavappathi) and the south west monsoon lashes the summer-parched lands of Kerala. The skies clear up around mid August (Chingam). Flowers bloom. The farmers get a copious harvest. The people of Kerala get into a mood of celebration.
Onam, the harvest festival is celebrated with verve all over Kerala in the month of August. The festivities go on for ten days. Women and children gather flowers and make floral designs (pookkalam) in their courtyard. Wearing new clothes and jewelry is yet another custom. Ona Sadhya or the feast with its delectable dishes and elaborate spread is a ritual that is looked forward to by one and all. Avial, Thoran, Sambar, Rasam, Olan, Kalan, Pachadi, Pickles, Upperi, Sharkara varati, Pappadam and many more lip-smacking assortments are served on a banana leaf. The sadhya ends with one, slurping two or three varieties of payasam. Thiruvadira or Kaikottikali, Vallam kali or the boat race and other such social events are also held to augment the celebrations.
Onam too has its share of legend. King Mahabali was a generous king, loved and respected by the people of his kingdom. Envying the popularity of the King, the gods (devas) approach Lord Vishnu who incarnates as a dwarf (vamana) to test him.
Vamana asks for three steps of land which without suspicion the King agrees to offer. However the dwarf grows in size and with his first step envelops the entire earth and his second step the entire skies. Realizing that this was no ordinary Brahmin, King Mahabali offers his head as the third step. Lord Vishnu places his foot on Mahabali and sends him down to the netherworld.
Pleased by the King’s bounteousness and greatness, Lord Vishnu grants him a boon that once every year he can visit his subjects to ensure they are happy and prosperous.
It is believed that on Thiruvonam star in the month of Chingam, King Mahabali visits his Kingdom. The Onam traditions and rituals are all intended to reassure him of the prosperity of the land and his people.
