Kerala’s traditional harvest festival, Onam, is celebrated over ten days.
Onam occurs in the Malayalam month of Chingam, usually during August or September. Its agricultural setting is the rice harvest season, while its best-known legend concerns King Mahabali, a ruler said to return to Kerala each year during the festival.
The ten-day sequence begins with Atham and culminates in Thiruvonam, the most important day. Celebrations may include flower designs called pookkalam, elaborate vegetarian feasts known as Onam sadya, boat races, dances, games, and visits with relatives.
Onam is strongly associated with Kerala’s Malayali culture and is celebrated by people of different religious backgrounds. Stories sometimes reduce it to a single feast day, but the traditional festival period is longer. The exact public-holiday arrangements can vary, while the ten-day cultural sequence remains the familiar framework.