Kerala's harvest festival: flower carpets, the grand feast and snake-boat races on the backwaters.
The story
- Kerala's ten-day harvest festival, from Atham to Thiruvonam.
- It opens with the Athachamayam parade at Thrippunithura; homes lay flower carpets () and Thrissur's tiger dancers come out for .
- The feast can have up to 28 dishes on a banana leaf.
What happens
- Ten days before
Atham begins
flower carpets appear at doorsteps and grow a ring each day.
- Thiruvonam
A feast of more than twenty dishes, served on a banana leaf.
- Around Onam
Boat races and
Vallam kali snake-boat races and Thrissur's tiger dancers.
Best places to see it
What to eat
A vegetarian feast of more than 20 dishes served on a banana leaf: rice, sambar, avial, thoran, pickles, papadam and more.
Homes, temples and many restaurants across Kerala serve it at Onam.
The sweet that ends the sadya, made with rice or lentils, jaggery or milk.
Served as the last course of the sadya.
Know before you go
- Eat with your right hand; fold the leaf towards you when you're done to say you enjoyed it.
- A (cream and gold) outfit fits right in.
- It can still rain, so carry an umbrella.
Organised by
Community celebration (Kerala Tourism hosts state Onam week events)
There's no single organiser. Local committees, temples and families make it happen, so welcome and etiquette matter more than tickets.