Onam ഓണം
Onam is Kerala's harvest festival and the one celebration that belongs to every Malayali, whatever their faith. It builds over ten days in the month of Chingam and peaks on Thiruvonam.
| Year | Occasion | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Atham (Onam season begins) | |
| 2026 | Uthradom (First Onam) | |
| 2026 | Thiruvonam (main day) | |
| 2026 | Avittam (Third Onam) | |
| 2026 | Chathayam (Fourth Onam) | |
| 2027 | Atham (Onam season begins) | |
| 2027 | Uthradom (First Onam) | |
| 2027 | Thiruvonam (main day) | |
| 2027 | Avittam (Third Onam) | |
| 2027 | Chathayam (Fourth Onam) |
Calculated for Thiruvananthapuram with sidereal (Lahiri) positions. Temple and devaswom announcements take precedence.
How the date is fixed
Onam does not follow a fixed English date. It falls on the day the Moon is in the Thiruvonam nakshatra (Shravana) during the Malayalam month of Chingam. Counting back ten stars gives Atham, the day the first flower carpet is laid. Because Chingam begins in mid-August, Thiruvonam lands anywhere from late August to mid-September.
The ten days, star by star
Each day of the festival is named after its nakshatra: Atham, Chithira, Chothi, Vishakham, Anizham, Thrikketta, Moolam, Pooradam, Uthradom and Thiruvonam. The pookalam grows one ring larger each day. Uthradom, the eve, is when families shop for the feast, which is why it is called First Onam. The two days after Thiruvonam, Avittam and Chathayam, are Third and Fourth Onam.
The story of Mahabali
The festival remembers Mahabali, the asura king whose reign was remembered as a time with no lies, no theft and no inequality. Vamana, the dwarf avatar of Vishnu, asked him for three paces of land and pushed him down to the netherworld with the third. Mahabali asked to visit his people once a year, and Onam is that visit. Children still sing the old verse that begins "Maveli nadu vaneedum kalam".
What people actually do
- Pookalam: a floral carpet in front of the house, started on Atham with a single ring of thumba flowers.
- Onasadya: the vegetarian feast on a banana leaf on Thiruvonam, with parippu, sambar, avial, thoran, olan, kalan, pachadi and at least two payasams.
- Onakkodi: new clothes given by elders, usually kasavu mundu and set saree.
- Vallamkali: snake-boat races on the backwaters; the Aranmula Uthrattathi Vallamkali on the Pamba is tied to the Onam season.
- Pulikali: tiger dancers with painted bodies parade through Thrissur on Fourth Onam.
- Athachamayam: the Atham-day procession at Thripunithura, which opens the state's Onam season.
Onam and holidays
The Government of Kerala usually notifies First Onam, Thiruvonam, Third Onam and often Fourth Onam as holidays. Schools close for the Onam vacation around the same time. Check the Kerala holiday list for the exact notified days.
Questions
Why does Onam fall on a different date every year?
Because it is fixed by a star, not a date. Onam is the day of the Thiruvonam nakshatra in the Malayalam month of Chingam, and both the month start and the star shift against the English calendar every year.
Is Onam a religious festival?
Onam has roots in Hindu tradition, but in practice it is celebrated by Malayalis of every religion as a cultural and harvest festival.
What is the difference between Atham and Thiruvonam?
Atham is the first of the ten Onam days, when the flower carpet starts. Thiruvonam is the tenth and main day, with the Onasadya feast.