Onam is the Kerala harvest festival traditionally celebrated with floral carpets called pookalam.
Onam takes place during the Malayalam month of Chingam, generally in August or September. The celebrations culminate on Thiruvonam, the festival’s most important day. Families create pookalam designs from flowers, prepare a large vegetarian feast called Onam sadya, and take part in music, games, boat races, and traditional performances.
The festival is associated in Kerala with the legendary annual return of King Mahabali, a ruler remembered for prosperity and equality. In Hindu tradition, the story also features Vamana, an avatar of Vishnu. The harvest setting reflects Kerala’s agricultural calendar and the abundance of the season.
Onam is not the same as Vishu, which marks the Malayalam New Year in many traditions, or Pongal, the major Tamil harvest festival. Onam is especially associated with Kerala and Malayali cultural identity.