ONAM Festival Story, Significance and Gift Options

Contents:

Onam is celebrated for 10 days and the main day is observed to be 28th of August 2023 Thiruonam day this year.

• Story of Onam
• Kerala Onam Traditional Objects and Significance
• Onam Gifts Under Rs. 500
• Onam Gifts Under Rs. 1000
• Onam Gift Hampers Rs.3000-Rs. 4000
• Onam Gifts Over Rs. 4000
• Onam Sarees and Jewellery for Women
• Onam Dress for Girls
• Onam Dress for Boys
• Onam Attire for Men

Story Of Onam

Onam is a festival of great zeal and enthusiasm, primarily observed as the harvest festival in Kerala. There are a host of events from pookulam (flower rangoli), snake boat race, variety of vegetarian food and snacks. This festival is celebrated by all religions within the state. There is a mythological story behind this festival.

Mahabali the demon King was ruling over Kerala. Under his rule all the subjects (people) were extremely happy and prosperous. He was a just and kind ruler. People began praising King Mahabali (Maveli in Malayalam) for his reign, this created jealousy in Aditi the Mother of the Gods. Aditi went to Lord Vishnu and narratted the plight of a demon king being hailed. 

In order to please his mother Lord Vishnu took the form of a small brahmin boy named Vamanan and went to meet the generous King Mahabali. 

Though he was a demon king, he had governed the kingdom justly and Lord Vishnu granted him a wish. To which King Mahabali, requested one day in a year to visit his land and people.

This day that King Mahabali visits his people is celebrated as the Onam day. People put pookulam (flower rangoli) in front of their homes, cook delicious meals, dress in new white and cotton kasavu and keep fruits and vegetables to signify a good harvest to welcome King Mahabali into their homes.

Other Traditional Items of Onam:

Athapookalam – Traditionally, the making of the Pookalam begins on the Atham day, ten days before Thiruvonam. The courtyard of every village house is decorated with beautiful flowers of different colours as a ritual to receive Mahabali (the beloved king of Kerala sent to the netherworld by Vamana, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu)

Amazon Link to buy Pookalam: https://amzn.to/44Vp7JD

Aranmula Kannadi (Valkannadi) significance is that it is made of metal. The mirror was created as an accident while making a crown and the proportions to make the highly reflective metal surface as that of mirror remains a trade secret to this day and is considered extremely auspicious. The valkannadi resembles the goddess laxmi, meaning the goddess of wealth and prosperity. It is believed that keeping an aranmula kannadi in home will invite the goddess Lakshmi to the house, and that brings wealth and prosperity to the house and its people. The Aranmula Kannadi is a meticulously handcrafted mirror that showcases the artistry and heritage of Aranmula, a place in Kerala.

Nettipattam – Nettipattam is an ornament used in Kerala to adorn the forehead of temple Elephants during Temple festivals and other auspicious events. Nettipattam wall hanging decor is quite popular. According to mythology, the Kumilas (doms) and its position in a caparison represent the entire pantheon of gods. These are placed or hung in an east-west direction, as it is believed to bring prosperity and peace to your home. Nettipattam is Caparison in english.

Amazon Link for Nettipattam: https://amzn.to/3OTn3w9

Kathakali – directly translates to ‘Story play’. The traditional themes of the Kathakali are folk stories, religious legends and spiritual ideas, distinguished by the elaborately colourful make-up and costumes.

Amazon Link to buy Kathakali: https://amzn.to/3DSm4pz

Snake Boat of Vallamkali – The boats have a length of 100 m and around 150 men can be seated in each boat. These boats are carved out from Artocarpus (Hirsuta) and teak (Kadamb) at times as well. The ends of the boats are curled and they resemble cobra hoods.

The Legend Behind Boat Race It is said that there is a story behind this beautiful event. According to the legend, the head of Kattoor Mana, who belonged to the Nambudiri family, used to offer his daily prayers and was waiting for a poor man to come and accept the food that he was offering in order to complete his ritual.

One day he waited for a very long time and when he saw that no poor man came, he started praying desperately to Lord Krishna. Then he opened his eyes and was surprised to see a boy standing in rags in front of him. He was overwhelmed by this sight. He took care of the boy, bathed him, offered him new clothes and, finally, provided him with a tasty and hearty meal. After completing the meal, the boy vanished. The Brahmin was very surprised as he was not expecting this. He set out to look for the boy. He spotted the boy in the Aranmula Temple, but to his surprise, the boy again disappeared again. After this, the Brahmin started convincing himself that this boy was not just any boy, but he was the Lord Himself. In order to commemorate this event, he started bringing food to this temple during the festival of Onam. He wanted the food to be protected from the pirates of the rivers. This is why snake boats used to accompany him when he travelled with the food. As this tradition started becoming popular, the snake boats started to increase in number. This led to the amazing carnival which was named the Snake Boat Race.

The craftsmen have to be patient and they work hard to make the boat perfect and then decorate it. These boats are treated like deities and the village folk have an emotional attachment to the boats. Then Prime Minister Nehru introduced the Nehru Trophy snake boat race.

Sharkkaravaratty– A sweet made of fried raw banana with jaggery. Buy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/47oMU6x

Onam Gift Options Under Rs. 1000

Gift Hampers For Onam ranging Rs.3000 to Rs. 4000

Buy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3s1xUem

• Banana chips with bottle
• Greeting card
• Amul – Mithai Mate
• Cashews & Raisins
• Payasam Mix
• Photo Card
• Sharkkaravaratty
• Spices Bottle
• Onam greeting card
• Traditional gift box

Buy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3qv4HIu

• Kerala saree
• Kerala mund
• Nilavilakku-Lamp
• Glass bottle with banana chips
• Glass bottle with Shankara varatty
• Photo card
• Greeting card

Onam Gift Options Above Rs. 4000

Buy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/47rIDiC

• Handcrafted Metal mirror
• Unique Secret Alloy
• Mystical Powers of Prosperity
• Cultural Heritage
• Aranmula Kannadi

Onam Gift Options Under Rs. 500

Onam Sarees for Women

Onam Dress for Girls

Onam Dress for Boys

Onam Attire for Men