{"id":4661,"date":"2022-08-24T11:39:15","date_gmt":"2022-08-24T06:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/34.228.189.90\/?p=4661"},"modified":"2023-09-15T11:12:01","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T05:42:01","slug":"take-an-onam-holiday-in-kerala-the-how-and-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/take-an-onam-holiday-in-kerala-the-how-and-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Take an Onam Holiday in Kerala | The How and Why"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Time is ripe to take an <strong>Onam holiday in Kerala<\/strong>. Yes, the 10-day harvest festival is round the corner. It is still not too late to book a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/cheap-flights-to-thiruvananthapuram-trv-from-usa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">flight to Thiruvananthapuram<\/a> or any other destination in the state and experience the fervor of festivities in person.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor: pointer\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #aaaaaa;color:#aaaaaa\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #aaaaaa;color:#aaaaaa\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/take-an-onam-holiday-in-kerala-the-how-and-why\/#Events_and_Festivities\" title=\"Events and Festivities \">Events and Festivities <\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/take-an-onam-holiday-in-kerala-the-how-and-why\/#The_Legend_and_the_Traditions\" title=\"The Legend and the Traditions\">The Legend and the Traditions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/traveldiary\/take-an-onam-holiday-in-kerala-the-how-and-why\/#Onam_2022\" title=\"Onam 2022\">Onam 2022<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>Onam \u2013 Kerala\u2019s state festival \u2013 is also promoted by the government. It is celebrated by Kerala natives the world over. The festivities last for 10 days with grand events organized by Kerala Tourism as well as by the locals. A <strong>trip to Kerala during Onam<\/strong> is the perfect way to experience the state\u2019s traditions and customs and do something different other than visit the backwaters, beaches, and the Ayurvedic therapy centers.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Events_and_Festivities\"><\/span><strong>Events and Festivities <\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One global online event is the Pookkalam (floral arrangement) competition. Anyone who is interested in this event can participate by checking the details on the official <strong>Kerala Tourism<\/strong> website.<\/p>\n<p>Also expect <em>Vallam Kali<\/em> or <em>Vallamkali<\/em> (boat races) during the festival. The famous Nehru Trophy Boat Race will be held this year on 4<sup>th<\/sup> September. So, if you are taking an <strong>Onam holiday in<\/strong> <strong>Kerala<\/strong>, you can go to Alappuzha district to witness the excitement in action. If you are planning to land in the state for this boat race alone, you can take a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/cheap-flights-to-kochi-cok-from-usa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">flight to Kochi<\/a> (the nearest airport). Usually, this race occurs in the middle of August. But this year it is held during Onam. The festival usually has other boat races too. For instance, the fifth day of Onam is usually reserved for this activity.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Legend_and_the_Traditions\"><\/span><strong>The Legend and the Traditions<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Onam is a harvest festival. But it is also a homecoming and welcome for the mythical King Mahabali. It is believed that every year during Onam King Mahabali visits the land from the underworld.<\/p>\n<p>Onam days are named differently. For instance, the first day is the <em>Atham<\/em>, the second day is <em>Chithira<\/em>. Atham is when the floral rangolis are first made. As the festival progresses, the arrangement grows in size as more flowers are added to it. The second day is dedicated to cleaning the houses. <em>Chodi<\/em>, the third day, is for giving and receiving of gifts. <em>Vishakam<\/em>, the fourth day, is the day when feast preparations begin. It is also the day for competitions. The famous Puli Kali (tiger dances) are also usually held on the fourth day. The fifth day, the <em>Anizham <\/em>is usually for the boat races. <em>Thriketa<\/em> or the sixth day is when the festival excitement begins to peak. The schools begin to close down and people start gearing up for the rest of the vibrant festivities. Dances begin on <em>Moolam<\/em>, the seventh day.<em> Pooradam<\/em> or the eighth day is usually when the cleaning of Mahabali\u2019s statues takes place. <em>Uthradom<\/em> or the ninth day is when the myth states King Mahabali returns to Kerala.<\/p>\n<p>The last day is the <em>Thiruvonam<\/em> when people partake in <em>Onasadya<\/em> or <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/life-style\/food-news\/onam-sadhya-the-26-dishes-spread-and-the-interesting-meal-customs\/articleshow\/85487625.cms\">Onam <em>Sadhya<\/em><\/a> \u2013 the traditional feast eaten on banana leaves. It consists of 25 or more dishes and the feast is a symbol of prosperity. Some of the dishes in the traditional feast are olan, pachadi, thoran, avial, payasam, rasam, kaalan, parippu etc. The feast includes fragrant pickles, crisp banana chips, and the good old banana as well.<\/p>\n<p>Every day is filled with cultural events and competitions. If you are in <strong>Kerala during Onam<\/strong>, you can be in the midst of all that is associated with the region and immerse yourself in the state\u2019s traditions. This year, the government is planning initiatives where tourists can partake in feasts with the locals. Such plans are not only exciting for the locals but also offer something distinct to tourists.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Onam_2022\"><\/span><strong>Onam 2022<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The dates of Onam, just like any other Hindu festival, change every year. In 2022, the festival will commence on 30<sup>th<\/sup> August and end on 8<sup>th<\/sup> September. This year the festivities are more special as the grand celebrations will be held after a period of two years of muted festivities. COVID had intruded into Onam as well just as it did into everything across the world. You can take an <a href=\"http:\/\/34.228.189.90\/take-an-onam-holiday-in-kerala-the-how-and-why\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Onam Holiday in Kerala<\/a> in the latter half of the 10-day celebrations if taking off for 10 days at a time is a stretch.<\/p>\n<p>Visit <strong>Kerala during Onam<\/strong> when the air is infused with the fragrance of vibrant marigold. Take flights to Kerala via Indian Eagle if you are a visitor from the US. You can reach all major destinations in the state via trains and flights from major cities in India.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-post-content td-pb-padding-side\">\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><b><i>Disclaimer:\u00a0<\/i><\/b><i>Indian Eagle claims no credit for the images featured on its blog site. All the visual content is copyrighted to its respective owners only. We mention the source name of the image whenever possible and found. However, if we miss acknowledging the owner\u2019s source, please contact us. In case, owners don\u2019t want us to use their images, we will remove them promptly. We believe in providing proper attribution to the original author, artist, and photographer.<\/i><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Time is ripe to take an Onam holiday in Kerala. Yes, the 10-day harvest festival is round the corner. It is still not too late to book a flight to Thiruvananthapuram or any other destination in the state and experience the fervor of festivities in person. Onam \u2013 Kerala\u2019s state festival \u2013 is also promoted [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,553],"tags":[1177,1178,1176],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A Vibrant Onam Holiday in Kerala | Travel Diary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Are you planning to take a last-minute Onam holiday in Kerala? 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