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Malayalam festival

Onam — ഓണം

ōṇaṁ

August–September · month of Chingam, culminating on the Thiruvonam star

Onam is Kerala's great harvest festival, welcoming back the legendary King Mahabali, whose reign was a golden age of equality. Over ten days from Atham to Thiruvonam, families lay ever-larger pookalam flower carpets, wear new Onakkodi clothes, and sit down to the Onasadya — a vegetarian feast of more than twenty dishes on a banana leaf.

Greetings in Malayalam

  • ഓണാശംസകൾ

    ōṇāśaṁsakaḷ

    "Onam wishes! / Happy Onam!"

    universal

  • എല്ലാവർക്കും ഹൃദയം നിറഞ്ഞ ഓണാശംസകൾ

    ellāvarkkuṁ hr̥dayaṁ niṟañña ōṇāśaṁsakaḷ

    "Heartfelt Onam wishes to everyone"

    warm, for cards and messages

Customs & traditions

  • ✦Laying a pookalam (flower carpet) at the doorstep each of the ten days
  • ✦Onasadya — a banana-leaf feast on Thiruvonam
  • ✦Vallam kali (snake-boat races), such as at Aranmula
  • ✦Pulikali — painted "tiger" dancers in Thrissur
  • ✦Onakkodi — new clothes gifted by elders

Traditional foods

  • ഓണസദ്യ

    ōṇasadya

    The Onam banana-leaf feast

  • അടപ്രഥമൻ

    aṭapradhaman

    Rice-flake payasam with jaggery and coconut milk

  • അവിയൽ

    aviyal

    Mixed vegetables in coconut and curd

  • ശർക്കര ഉപ്പേരി

    śarkkara upperi

    Jaggery-coated banana chips

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