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Onam is the biggest and the most important festival of Kerala. It's a harvest festival that also marks the start of the new year on the Malayalam calendar. This festival is celebrated beyond the boundaries of caste and religion. It is basically a festival of harvests that is celebrated with great excitement and enthusiasm. The ten day festival this Onam 2021 starts off with the royal parade also called as Aathachamayam in Thripunithura, Kochi.
The main center of festival is at Thrikakkara Temple in Kochi, and the parade is vibrant and colourful which depicts the elements of Kerala culture. The ten days of Onam are celebrated with great fanfare among the people of Kerala. Of all these days, most important ones are the first day, Atham and the last or tenth day, Thiru Onam.
Thripunithura Athachamayam
There isn't a more colourful start to the Onam festival than the Athachamayam festival, which kicks off the celebrations. The festival features a street parade accompanied by decorated elephants, musicians, and various traditional Kerala art forms. The whole town gets festive with decorations, street stalls, and floral arrangements. This year the Thripunithura Athachamayam was held on September 7 in Thripunithura, Kochi.
Pulikkali Tiger Play
It is a colourful recreational folk art form where hundreds of grown men paint their body up as tigers and dancing to the beat of traditional percussion instruments are an unexpected feature of Onam celebrations. It takes around four hours to completely decorate one person. There are prizes for the best dressed tiger, and for the best dance. The Pulikkali Tiger Play is held in Swaraj Round in Thrissur district. This Onam, the play will be held on September 19. So being a part of the colourful folk art form will leave any travellers mesmerized.
Aranmula Snake Boat Race
The Aranmula Boat Race is the oldest river boat fiesta in Kerala, and is held during the month of September. It takes place at Aranmula, near a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Krishna and Arjuna. The snake boats move in pairs to the rhythm of full-throated singing and shouting watched by an exciting crowd. This year, the race is held on September 20, 2013. The boat race is a must visit for travellers touring Kerala during this time.
Onam Sadya
It wouldn't be Onam without a festival feast. Traditionally, it's referred to as Onasadya, and it consists of a number of specialties often more than 20 different curries dished up on a banana leaf. Travellers won't need to look far to find a restaurant in Kerala that serves this tasty treat. One can enjoy the feast on the main day of Onam.
Cultural Programmes
During Onam, people create a multi-coloured floral decoration on the ground in the front of their home called pookkalam. Young children especially girls are often entrusted with the task of gathering and laying out the flowers in elaborate patterns. Other festivities include stage shows like drama and classical dance, folk art, food stalls, and handicraft fairs which is held in Thiruvananthapuram and other parts of Kerala.
A huge range of activities take place across the state for over two weeks. All this and much more make the time of Onam the most suitable time for travellers across the globe to visit the 'God's own country'. Listed below are the five of the best Kerala Onam festival attractions for travellers to enjoy. Also keep an eye out for stunning Onam pookalams (floral carpets) laid out for the occasion.
