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- September 4, 2025
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Onam 2025 A Festival of Unity, Joy, and Tradition
India is a land where festivals are not just celebrated but lived with emotion, colour, and community spirit. Among them, Onam, the harvest festival of Kerala, shines as one of the most vibrant and culturally rich celebrations. For ten days every year, the people of Kerala, whether at home in Kochi or abroad in places like Dubai, London, or New York, come together to honour tradition, family, and joy.
At Festivals for Joy (FFJ), we believe festivals carry the power to unite people beyond borders. Onam is the perfect example of how a cultural celebration, deeply rooted in Kerala’s soil, can resonate with people everywhere.
The Story Behind Onam
Onam is not just about floral carpets or grand feasts. It carries a legend that has been passed down for centuries – the story of King Mahabali.
According to mythology, King Mahabali was a kind and just ruler beloved by his people. His reign was marked by equality, prosperity, and happiness. However, the gods grew concerned about his growing power and influence. Lord Vishnu, in his Vamana avatar, gently asked Mahabali for three paces of land. With his humility and generosity, Mahabali agreed. Vamana then grew into a giant and covered the earth and the skies in two steps. For the third, Mahabali offered his own head, and thus he was sent to the underworld.
Moved by his devotion, Lord Vishnu granted Mahabali permission to visit his people once every year. Onam marks this annual homecoming, making it a festival of remembrance, gratitude, and togetherness.
The Ten Days of Onam
Onam is celebrated over ten days, each carrying unique customs and energy:
- Atham (Day 1): The beginning of festivities, marked by the first floral rangoli (Pookalam).
- Chithira, Chodhi, Vishakam, Anizham, Thriketa: Each day adds new layers of decoration, cultural events, and community gatherings.
- Moolam and Pooradam: Small feasts and traditional dances become part of the celebrations.
- Uthradam (Day 9): The excitement reaches its peak as families prepare for the grand day.
- Thiruvonam (Day 10): The main day, celebrated with the grand Onam Sadhya, games, boat races, and cultural performances.
From rural villages in Kerala to modern celebrations in Hyderabad, Vijayawada, and Guntur, these traditions bring people closer, ensuring Onam’s GEO reach across India while also engaging the global diaspora (GEP).
The Grand Feast: Onam Sadhya
A highlight of Onam is the Onam Sadhya, a magnificent vegetarian feast served on a banana leaf. It often includes more than 20 dishes, such as:
- Avial (vegetable curry with coconut and yogurt)
- Sambar (lentil-based curry)
- Thoran (vegetable stir-fry with coconut)
- Erissery (pumpkin curry)
- Pachadi (sweet-sour yogurt dish)
- Payasam (sweet dessert made of jaggery and milk)
What makes the Sadhya unique is not only its taste but its symbolism. Sharing the meal together represents unity, abundance, and gratitude to nature for a good harvest.
In cities like Hyderabad and Vijayawada, Onam Sadhya buffets are hosted in restaurants, inviting people from all communities to experience Kerala’s culture. Globally, Malayali associations organize grand feasts for those away from home, keeping the spirit alive.
Traditions That Light Up Onam
Onam is not just about food, it’s about experiences that create joy:
- Pookalam: Intricate floral carpets designed outside homes, symbolizing prosperity and welcoming King Mahabali.
- Vallam Kali (Snake Boat Races): Exciting boat races, especially along Kerala’s backwaters, watched by thousands.
- Kaikottikali: Graceful traditional dance performed by women, often around lamps.
- Pulikali: The famous tiger dance, where performers paint themselves as tigers and hunters, filling the streets with colour and rhythm.
- Onakalikal: Traditional games, from tug-of-war to archery, played during the festival.
These traditions have found their way into modern adaptations. In places like Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and abroad, cultural organizations recreate Pookalam competitions, dance shows, and feasts, making Onam a festival of both GEO-local relevance and GEP-global appeal.
Onam Beyond Kerala
Though Onam is Kerala’s festival, its warmth has spread far beyond.
- In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Onam is celebrated by Malayali communities in Guntur, Vijayawada, and Hyderabad, where cultural groups host events that invite locals to join in.
- Across India, Onam has become an occasion for inclusivity, schools host Pookalam contests, offices organize Onam feasts, and communities gather for boat race viewings.
- Globally, from the Gulf countries to North America, Malayali associations keep the tradition alive, making Onam an international celebration of joy and togetherness.
This cultural universality (GEP) makes Onam more than just a harvest festival—it’s a global symbol of love, unity, and belonging.
The Emotional Essence of Onam
At its core, Onam is about more than rituals. It’s about:
- Welcoming loved ones home – just like King Mahabali’s return.
- Gratitude for abundance – thanking nature for its bounty.
- Celebrating togetherness – uniting families, friends, and communities.
Whether you are in a village in Kerala laying flowers for a Pookalam, or in Hyderabad attending an Onam Sadhya with friends, or even thousands of miles away in London recreating the festival with your community, the essence remains the same, Onam is about belonging.
How to Celebrate Onam in Simple Ways
- Create a Pookalam at your doorstep, even if small.
- Cook a mini-Sadhya with family, enjoying traditional dishes.
- Wear traditional attire – men in mundu, women in kasavu saree.
- Share stories of King Mahabali with children, passing down tradition.
- Participate in community events, whether in local Kerala Samajams or cultural groups abroad.
At FFJ, we encourage families and communities to embrace these practices, keeping the joy of Onam alive no matter where they are.
Onam: A Festival for All
Like Diwali or Christmas, Onam has crossed regional boundaries to become a celebration of values that everyone cherishes, prosperity, gratitude, and unity. It reminds us that festivals are not limited by geography; they are carried in hearts across the world.
At Festivals for Joy, we see Onam as more than a cultural tradition. It’s a reminder that joy is meant to be shared, whether in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, or anywhere across the globe.
Final Thoughts
Onam 2025 is a call to celebrate togetherness in its purest form. It is about opening our homes, our hearts, and our tables to friends, families, and neighbours.
As King Mahabali is welcomed home each year, Onam reminds us to honour humility, kindness, and inclusivity. No matter where we are in Kerala’s backwaters, in bustling Hyderabad, or halfway across the world, Onam connects us to each other.
At FFJ, we believe Onam is not just a harvest festival; it is a festival of joy that brings humanity closer. And that is the spirit we carry forward, today and always.