Importance

Onam, also called the harvest festival of Kerala, is one of the most important festivals for the people of Kerala. Onam is one festival that crosses the boundaries of religion and is celebrated in a very secular manner, as people from all communities can be seen participating in Onam celebrations.

Onam is a 10 day festival, which includes different ceremonies and customs for all the days. The first day called Atham and the tenth day called Thiru Onam are the most important days of all.

Onam is celebrated in a grand manner, which showcases true Indian culture. Days and months before the festival of Onam preparations start in full swing and continue till the last day.

Major attractions of Onam are:

Onam Celebrations

Onamsadya: It is a 9 course meal that is served on a banana leaf with a fixed menu, served in a fixed manner.
Snake Boat race: It is a very popular sport performed by men in Kerala, especially on the festival of Onam. Different boats are decorated for this purpose and a fast paced race is carried out on Onam.
Onakalikal: All the games performed on Onam are together called Onakalikal. These sports are physically challenging, and are traditionally performed by men.
Dances: While men engage themselves in games, women folk generally indulge in performing different dance forms in a group.

Although Onam is very important to the people of Kerala, its significance comes from 2 main reasons, one of which relates to past history and second is related to the time of occurrence:

Historical significance: The people of Kerala strongly worship the holy king Mahabali, in whose reign, the state of Kerala was supposed to prosper and glorify.
Chingam: The month of Chingam according to Malayalam calendar is the last month of the calendar and marks the start of monsoons and good harvest.