Ten days of joy. A legendary king. The most elaborate vegetarian feast on earth.
Onam celebrates the annual visit of the benevolent demon king Mahabali to Kerala. According to Hindu mythology, Mahabali ruled a golden age of perfect equality and prosperity. Lord Vishnu, in his Vamana avatar, tricked Mahabali into surrendering his kingdom. Mahabali was sent to the underworld but granted one wish: to visit his people once a year.
That annual visit is Onam. The people of Kerala welcome their beloved king back with ten days of celebration. Every family puts out a flower carpet called Pookkalam to welcome Mahabali. The elaborate designs grow more complex each day as new flowers are added.
Onam falls in the Malayalam month of Chingam, typically in August or September. The final day, Thiruvonam, is the main celebration.
The Onam Sadya is a vegetarian feast served on a banana leaf. It is one of the most complex and elaborate meals in Indian cuisine. A traditional Sadya includes 26 or more dishes served in a specific order and arrangement on the leaf.
The meal includes rice, sambar, rasam, avial, thoran, olan, pachadi, and multiple types of pickles and papadums. It ends with two types of payasam, a sweet pudding made from rice or lentils cooked in jaggery or sugar. The whole experience takes an hour to eat properly.
The Nehru Trophy Boat Race on Punnamada Lake is the most famous of Kerala snake boat races. Long narrow boats called Chundan Vallams carry over 100 rowers each. The boats move in perfect synchronized strokes to the beat of Vanchipattu, traditional boat songs.
Hindu American communities in cities with large Kerala populations organize cultural programs, Sadya feasts, and Onam celebrations at community centers. The Malayalam diaspora keeps these traditions sharp.
The Kerala Hindu community in America is large and highly organized. Associations in cities across the country host Onam programs with traditional dance, music, the Sadya, and cultural competitions.
For Malayali Hindu Americans, Onam is the primary identity festival. It connects them to Kerala, to Malayalam language and culture, and to each other. Second-generation kids who may not speak Malayalam fluently still know how to eat a proper Sadya.