Onam
Also called Thiruvonam
Kerala's harvest festival and a 20-dish lunch
What it is
August or September
Onam is Kerala's harvest festival. The story goes that King Mahabali, a ruler his people loved, comes back once a year to visit them, and Onam is the welcome. It lasts 10 days, and the main day is Thiruvonam.
How people celebrate
Families make a pookalam, a big flower design on the floor, and add a new ring every day.
The Onam sadya is a huge vegetarian lunch served on a banana leaf, often with more than 20 dishes.
Snake boat races, called vallam kali, happen on the rivers and backwaters.
In Thrissur, men paint themselves like tigers and dance in the streets for Pulikali.
Women dance Thiruvathira in a circle, wearing cream and gold kasavu saris.
What people eat
- Avial
- Mixed vegetables cooked with coconut and yogurt.
- Payasam
- A sweet pudding, usually made with rice or lentils, jaggery and coconut milk.
- Banana chips
- Thin slices of banana fried in coconut oil.
- Sambar
- Lentil and vegetable stew with tamarind.
Did you know?
Onam is Kerala's state festival, and people of every religion there celebrate it.