Festivals are an essential part of India's wealthy cultural background, and Onam is one of them. It is a harvest festival and indicates the homecoming of the legendary demon King Mahabali. During the month of Chingam, the first month of the calendar, Malayalis all around the globe rejoice in this festival. Onam falls between August and September each year, and it appeared because of the National Festival of Kerala.
Introduction of Onam
Onam festival unites anybody from all groups in Kerala regardless of their religion and caste. It is one of the most famous gala's in India and is widely known with brilliant pomp. The activities throughout this festival season are famous everywhere in the country, including Onam Vallamkali (boat races) and Onam Sadhya, i.e., food. This harvest pageant typically falls between the end of August and the start of September throughout the Malayalam month Chingam.
History of Onam
Onam commemorates the homecoming of the amazing asura, King Maha Bali, from Patala Loka. Maha Bali, the grandson of Prahalada, became a strong and found-out king who had reputable knowledge. Once, Maha Bali became appearing a yagna, whilst a short, younger, radiant boy entered the yagna shala. Maha Bali, as became the custom, welcomed this radiant teenager and requested him what he wanted.
The younger boy asked for that tons space, as could be measured through three footsteps of his. Maha Bali agreed straight away to the chagrin of his Guru Shukracharya, who counselled him that the visitor became none aside from Lord Vishnu Himself. As the legend goes, no quicker had been the three footsteps granted, the younger Vamana assumed a colossal shape called Trivikrama and, with step one of his foot, measured the whole Earth. Then with the second one step of his foot, he measured the complete sky.
Onam 2023 Date
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When is Onam 2023?
Onam for the year 2023 is celebrated/observed on Tuesday, 29 August.
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Onam dates for the years 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026
| Year | Weekday | Date | Name | Holiday Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Thu | 8 Sep | Onam | Restricted Holiday |
| 2023 | Tue | 29 Aug | Onam | Restricted Holiday |
| 2024 | Sun | 15 Sep | Onam | Restricted Holiday |
| 2025 | Fri | 5 Sep | Onam | Restricted Holiday |
| 2026 | Wed | 26 Aug | Onam | Restricted Holiday |
Onam Quotes
This Onam, we hope King Mahabali blesses you and fulfills all your desires. Happy Onam!
Festivals like Onam bring families and friends together. They also bring love, joy, and happiness to our lives. We hope you are having a happy Onam!
On this festive day, I wish you a wonderful Onam. May your house be filled with warmth, happiness, and peace. Happy Onam!
Let this festive season bring you lots of good luck, joy, and peace of mind. Happy Onam!
On this auspicious day, I wish that Lord Mahabali brings great happiness and prosperity to your life. Wishing you a very happy Onam.
Festivals bring families together. It gives reason to have fun one more time. A festival like Onam brings prosperity to the family. It gives reason to smile one more time.
On this festive occasion, here's wishing you all a prosperous, happy, colorful, bright, healthy, wealthy, and wise Onam. Happy Onam!
Onam Wishes
Please accept my warm wishes and blessings to you and your family. Happy Onam!
On this special occasion, we wish you lots of love, joy, and success. May Lord Mahabali bless you and your family this Onam!
May this Onam fill your life and home with new positive energies and lots of happiness. Here's wishing you all a happy Onam.
On this auspicious day, we wish you a very happy Onam. From our family to yours!
A great pookalam is an assimilation of design of assorted bright flowers, ideas, commitment, group work and perseverance.
Onam Messages
King Mahabali's glorious past is a reminder that we can create the same in the future with our own efforts. Let us not forget to strive more in life. Here's wishing you and your family a very happy Onam!
Onam is a festival that brings together all of us every year. It is a festival of homecoming, fun, and celebrations! Here’s wishing you all a very Onam!
On this festive occasion, I'm sending you my warmest wishes. Have a happy Onam, from our family to yours.
On this festive occasion, I extend my warm wishes to you and your family. May you all be blessed with happiness and prosperity in your life.
Sending my warmest wishes to your family this Onam festival. Have a happy and wonderful Onam.
Significance of Onam
All the ten days which can be celebrated at some point of Onam have their very own significance and importance. Each day has its cost, or even after ten days, a few locations nonetheless have a good time on Onam.
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Atham
To rejoice in the advent of King Mahabali, people enhance their homes with yellow flowers and have Pookalam (flower rangoli). A new layer is brought after every passing day.
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Chithira
The second day is typically deep cleaning homes and ensuring that the whole thing is clean and neat. They additionally add some other layer of flower in Pookalam. This day is incredibly auspicious for getting fresh vegetables, fruits, and different provisions.
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Chodi
On day 3, humans purchase gold, clothes, presents to rejoice Onam. People gift new clothes, additionally referred to as Onakodi, to each other.
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Vishakam
This fourth day marks the beginning of Onam Sadhya. Families begin the preparation of Sadhya. The range of dishes differs from family to family however, usually, households make 26 delicacies.
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Anizham
Aranmula Uthrattathi Vallamkali, additionally referred to as snake boat, starts on the 5th day. This is the oldest river boat competition in Kerala. This marks the start of the Vallamkali snake boat race.
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Thriketa
The office goers, school children, college students get off as Onam starts in full swing. The Pookalam receives bigger after each passing day. This is the 6th day of Onam.
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Moolam
This is the 7th day of the Onam festival. Families and relatives go to each different and temples begin serving Sadhyas. People also begin taking part in conventional art forms likes Kaikottikali and Puli Kali (leopard masquerade dance).
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Pooradam
On the eighth day, statues of Mahabali and Vamana are taken across the residence and are placed withinside the centre of Pookalam.
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Uthradam
Day nine is one of the most vital days of the festival. People purchase fresh vegetables, and conventional food is cooked. It's believed that King Mahabali reaches the state on this day.
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Thiruvonam
On the tenth day, humans clean their houses, practice rice flour batter on the main entrance, get dressed up in conventional attire, saree, and veshti (dhoti) and experience the Sadhya feast. People get collectively and play games, do activities collectively, rejoice and dance.
When is Onam celebrated?
Onam, conventional rituals are accompanied by a lavish feast with 21 homemade curries and sweet payasam on a banana leaf. Spectacular carnivals of elephants, fireworks, boat races, music, and the famous Kathakali dance are historically related to this festival.
Vamana commenced to develop in size, and his first feet covered the Earth and his second feet covered the sky. For the third foot, no area turned into left, after which Mahabali asked Vamana to place the third foot on his head, thus, burying himself into the underworld. However, through seeing the devotion of Mahabali, Lord Vishnu was inspired and informed him that he should go back to Earth as soon as a year to go to his humans and his kingdom throughout Onam. And so, each year in the course of this era, the Onam pageant is celebrated.
Interesting facts about Onam
- The vallam kali ( the snake boat race) is another main competitive occasion. This is intently related to the harvest festival of Onam. Numerous oarsmen row large snake-fashioned boats.
- Another most Iconic and scrumptious part of the festivities of Onam is the Onasadhya. Onasadhya is ready on the last day of Onam, known as Thiruonam.
- At the Thrikkakara temple, each day of the pageant showcases one or more of those activities, including Kathakali Thiruvathira, Chakyar koothu, Ottam thullal Patakam, Onam songs, and percussion instrument shows.
- The Onam celebrations throughout the country start with a grand procession at Thrippunithura close to Kochi, referred to as Atthachamayam, additionally called Thripunithura Athachamayam.
- Onasadhya is prepared at the ultimate day of Onam, referred to as Thiruonam. It is taken into consideration to be the most elaborate and grand meal organized through any civilization or tradition in the world.
- Pulikali is another one of the major points of interest that go at some point of the Onam season.
- Onam is Kerala's harvest pageant and is extraordinarily vital to Keralites. The festival is generally celebrated in August/September and is found through humans throughout India and the world.
- Onam Sadhya, which in Malayalam means' banquet' is a sensational multi-route vegetarian meal that capabilities over 24 dishes on a banana leaf.
- Like Ganesh Chaturthi, Onam is a 10-day festival, the first and the last being the most important ones.
- The most essential things about Onam are the onakkodi, the new clothes worn on this day, and Onam sadya, a dinner party that is quite elaborate.
- Gifts form an inseparable part of the festival of Onam. Some of the most famous presents exchanged throughout those galas are silver coins, gold jewellery, clothes, home appliances, gadgets, and many more.
Themes of Onam for the year 2022
The celebration of the Onam pageant is going for ten days long, in which people make 'flower rangoli' referred to as Pookalam of their courtyards. The event has an extensive variety of meals arrangements served on banana leaves called 'Onasadya'.The meals include dishes, pickles, papads, payasam observed through conventional dance, music, and games together called Onakalikal.
The date of the Onam Festival varies at the Gregorian Calendar. However, it falls sometime in either August or September. On the Malayalam Calendar, it is considered New Year's Day.
In the year 2022, Onam or Thiruvonam will be observed on Thursday, September 8, 2022.
Ways of celebration
Just because the monsoon bids adieu to the land of South India, the air is full of vigour, joy, and happiness with the appearance of Onam, a vast festival celebrated majorly in Kerala. From the intricately embellished elephants to the wild Pulikali dancers and the huge snake boats coated up on the shore to the splendid floral decorations, this pageant paints the state in more colours than you may imagine.
