Onam is one of the most popular and
celebrated festival of Kerala. It is a time for everyone to reap the
benefits of a good harvest after a year of hard work and labour. Onam
festival is celebrated in the memory of popular King Mahabali, who
according to a popular belief visits his subjects on this day. The
festival is a time for communal thanksgiving. The famous 'Snake boat'
race is organised every year to mark the festival. It is a season of
dances, songs, food, worshipping among other festivities. Women wear new
sarees, they dress up their children in colorful clothes. The
traditional 'Pookkalam' a flower mat adorns the courtyard of almost
every house. Among the various dishes cooked during the festival,
'Payasam' is most popular.
