Onam festival has been a part of South Indian culture for years now. People from Kerala mostly celebrate this ten days festival. It is celebrated between August and September. The festival revolves around the legend of the King Mahabali.
The king was a mythical ruler of Kerala, and his subjects were pleased with his reign. He was quite respected, and there was no discrimination in his kingdom. However, the gods were angered by his popularity and decided to send Lord Vishnu to Earth and take care of the problem. Lord Vishnu, in the form of a brahmin man, went to Mahabali and asked him for three feet of land. Mahabali being the generous ruler he is, granted his wish. Lord Vishnu then turned himself into such a gigantic proportion and set one of his feet on land, covering the entire earth, and the other on the skies.
He then asked Mahabali where he should put his third step, and Mahabali offered him his head. Lord Vishnu then trampled Mahabali to hell. There, Mahabali requested hmm to let him meet his people once a year. Onam is the celebration where people celebrate the legend, which is the return of Mahabali once a year, to his people.
Onam is celebrated through a series of events like boat races, dances performances, folk songs, etc. The people of Kerala welcome their generous king to let him know that their state is still flourishing and is full of life and vigour.
The ten days celebrations consist of various events such as Pulikali, Thumbi Thulal, Onathapan, etc. People irrespective of race, caste gender, creed celebrate Onam festival. Then, the people also adorn their houses and places with pookalam, which is like a flower rangoli. It is quite pretty and makes the place more beautiful.The boat race, also known as Vallam Kali is an essential part of the festival. It is a form of canoe racing in which the people participate. It is a significant tourist attraction. People go to see this fantastic boat race. The boats are called snake boats because they are elongated and look like a snake. The boat is almost 100 metres long and is paddled by a lot of people.
All over, the festival brightens up and cheers up the people of Kerala. It is declared as one of the most important and main festivals of Kerala on India. It is a very religious art that women and girls usually learn to do this from a very young age. A great amount of hard work and diligence is gone into doing this, and when it’s complete, it looks beautiful.
The festival also featured elephant parades with a lot of music and drums and fun. It is known as Thripunithura.
Overall, Onam is a beautiful festival with a lot of small celebrations that went on every day. It is indeed enjoyable and heartwarming. The people want to welcome their past ruler with open hands—moreover, people from all over the world to visit India to witness the joy of this festival.
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