The first day of Onam is known as Atham. People consider this day as an auspicious one. They start early, make prayers in the local temple and start preparing for the celebrations of Onam. Among the Onam festival and rituals in Kerala, ‘Pookkalam’ is the most important thing sincerely followed by everyone in the state.  These flower carpet designs made in front of the courtyards of their house provide a grandeur look to the atmosphere. This artistic outlook displayed by the womenfolk is many a time exemplary and far from ordinary. They supply a festive mood to the people as well to the entire environment. On the first day of Pookalam people decorate with ‘Atha Poo.’ This will grew in size by including all other flowers in due course as the days of the festival passes by.

BReakfast style followed in Onam Rituals

All these ten days people east same set of breakfast. They start decorating their houses on the first day after a thorough cleaning of the entire house and its surroundings. If possible, they will make ready a swing by tying it on a branch of tree with flower decorations. This enables the youngsters to have fun. On the ninth day rituals of Onam festival in Kerala, it is customary to give presents to the head of the family and to the head of the clan, community and village by the dependants. Most probably, the gifts are the produce of their farm and in return the will receive a grand fest from them.

Tenth day Onam Rituals

The tenth day is the most important of all. People wake up early in the morning, clean the houses with cow dung and prepare conical figures of clay known as ‘Trikkakara Appan’. This is because Trikkakara was considered as the capital of King Mahabali. Elders of the family perform prayers and poojas and prepare ‘nivedhyam’ offerings for God. The highlighting rituals of Onam festival in Kerala on the tenth day morning is the ‘Aarppu Vilikukal’, in which the male menders of the family make rhythmic and joyful shouts.

Beautiful adornmenst

Then they dress in their best attire and visit the local temple to offer prayers to God. Everyone exchanges new clothes and gifts.  After this, everyone gets ready for ‘Onasadhya’ the grand feast. At least 13 kinds of dishes are served on banana leaf. This is strictly a vegetarian feast. However, many rituals of Onam festival in Kerala are followed in presenting this grand feast. At last, it is time for fun. People carry out recreational activities like playing traditional games like Onakalikal, dancing Thumbi Thullal and Kaikottikai, singing Onam songs in the swing and all other folk art forms like pulikali.