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Onam
Onam is one of the most popular festivals and traditions in India, especially in the state of Kerala. It’s a beautiful celebration of culture with a deep story and history which we’ll be talking about today.
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Onam Definition & Meaning
Onam is a grand festival in Kerala, India dubbed the festival of rain flowers.
Onam is a harvest festival showcasing the culture of Kerala and the Malayali people which also celebrates the visitation of King Mahabali’s spirit.
When Is Onam?
The celebration of Onam is observed at the start of the month of Chingam which corresponds with the months of August and September. The dates change every year in the Gregorian calendar because Onam is celebrated following the Malayalam calendar.
Onam History
The earliest accounts of Onam celebrations date back somewhere around the year 800. During that time, the Kulasekhara Perumals were at the height of their reign. Onam has always been a part of Keralan culture. However, some evidence suggests that it’s not. Nevertheless, Onam is a Keralan celebration and is an anticipated annual event to this day.
Onam Purpose and Importance
Onam is known all around the world, and the Malayali people celebrate this festival spiritually and wholeheartedly for the following reasons:
Welcome King Mahabali’s Spirit
The Malayali people believe that King Mahabali’s spirit visits Kerala yearly throughout the 10-day celebration of the Onam festival. That’s why during the festival, they perform rituals, songs, and other customs welcoming King Mahabali.
According to legend, King Mahabali was granted a boon by Lord Vishnu as a reward for his kindness and nobility. The king asked to be permitted to visit his kingdom every year. Vishnu granted his request and promised that he will be immortalized and remembered by his people forever.
Celebrate Prosperity
As a harvest festival, prosperity is deeply celebrated during Onam. It commemorates the reign of King Mahabali back in ancient times when everything was bountiful and everyone was in good spirits. That said, the Malayali people celebrate Onam in the grandest way possible, full of enthusiasm and jubilation. They wish for good fortune, good health, and good spirits in the days to come.
Showcase Malayali Culture
The Malayali people are proud of their culture and they’re delighted to showcase it to the world on Onam. Throughout the 10-day festival, lots of cultural performances take place with countless local and international tourists spectating. Onam also helps Kerala’s tourism and the state’s traditional artists and small merchants can sell their wares profitably.
What’s in Onam?
The state of Kerala celebrates Onam in various ways. Within the 10 days of the festival, there’ll be performances of folk songs, Kathakali dance performances, displays of creative rangoli art, boat races, fun games, grand feasts with sadya food dishes, and grand elephant processions with flower decorations. All of those activities are in honor of King Mahabali.
How to Create an Onam Social Media Post
Social media is a good platform to express your excitement for this year’s Onam festival with these Onam Templates. Impress your friends and followers by creating an HD Onam social media post following our simple guide below.
1. Select an Onam Facebook Post template.
Our site has three high-quality Onam Facebook templates. Their design is made for Facebook and their aesthetic fits with the themes of the Onam festival. Choose the template that you fancy and customize it in our Editor tool. Our Editor tool lets you fully personalize your Onam Facebook post.
2. Write your Happy Onam wishes!
Your Facebook post is lifeless without your Happy Onam wish. So, make sure to write it in the post. Head to the Fill tab of our Editor tool and write your Happy Onam greetings in the Fill Text boxes. A simple “Happy Onam to Everyone” will do. Don’t forget that you have the option to change the font style of the text.
3. Insert cartoon graphics.
You can add some more artistic flair to your post by inserting cartoon graphics or clipart. Go to the Graphics tab on the Editor page and select from any of the available options. The best ones to insert would be clipart of fruits since Onam is a harvest festival.
4. Change the background color to your liking.
If the template’s default background color isn’t to your liking, don’t hesitate to change it. Head to the Background tab, go to the Colors section, click See All, and select a color under Default Colors. Simply click the color of your choice and it’ll immediately apply as the background color.
5. Save your Onam Facebook post.
Once you’re done doing the preceding steps, you can then save your Onam Facebook post. Select the three-dotted icon in the upper right to make the Recommended pop-up menu appear. And in that pop-up menu, select Save. Hold on to your finished Onam Facebook post and be ready to upload it once Onam is a few days away.
1. Choose any Onam Festival Instagram Post template.
Instagram is a great social media platform to celebrate occasions. That said, we offer our Onam Instagram post templates. Select from any of them and customize their Instagrammable designs on our Editor page.
2. Type in a personalized Onam message.
Share your Onam message to the world through your Instagram post. That said, go to the Fill panel of the Editor page and write your Onam message in the Fill text boxes. A short and simple one would suffice. And also, feel free to change the text font style.
3. Set up a background photo.
To make your Onam Instagram post even more Instagrammable, set up a background photo. Go to the Background tab and select See All in the Photo section. You can go to the Unsplash or Pixabay tab to find free photos related to the Onam festival. If you have Onam-related photos on your computer, go to the Uploads tab so you can upload images. Click the photo of your choice and it’ll immediately apply as a background.
4. Insert additional graphics if you want.
If you want more graphics, feel free to add more. Our Editor tool is stock full of graphics that can complement the design of your Instagram post. Among those we recommend are floral graphics since Onam is also called the festival of rain flowers.
5. Save your Onam Festival Instagram post.
When you’re done customizing and beautifying your post, don’t forget to save it. Keep it on hold for now. Upload it the day before this year’s Onam festival begins. To save your Instagram post creation, click the three-dotted icon in the upper right corner of the Editor page and select the Save button.
1. Choose an Onam LinkedIn Post template.
If you wish to celebrate Onam through LinkedIn, use any of our two Onam LinkedIn post templates. Start the creation process by selecting a template and opening it in our Editor tool. Our Editor tool is user-friendly and gives you complete freedom on how to design your Onam LinkedIn post.
2. Type in your Happy Onam greetings!
The first thing you can customize in the Editor tool is the content of the Fill Text boxes. It’s in those boxes where you’ll type in your simple Happy Onam greetings. You can access the Fill Text boxes by opening the Fill tab. You may also change the font style of the text. Different font style options can be found on the toolbar.
3. Insert your professional logo or company logo.
Since you’ll be posting on LinkedIn, you should consider making your post more professional by inserting your brand logo. How? Simply open the Logo panel and click the Upload Your File button. Upload an image file of your brand logo that you have saved in your computer folders. When it’s uploaded, click and drag it to the heading part of the post template.
4. Customize the background color.
If you don’t like the default background color, don’t worry, you can change it. Access the Background tab of the Editor page, click See All in the Colors section, and choose a color under Default Colors. Just click the color you like and it’ll immediately be set as the background color of the post.
5. Save your finished Onam LinkedIn post.
When you’re done customizing, save your Onam LinkedIn post. Click the button beside the Download button found on the upper right side of the Editor page. This will make the Recommended pop-up menu appear. Select the Save button in the pop-up menu.
Onam vs. Pongal
Onam is a Malayali harvest festival celebrated in Kerala, India in honor of King Mahabali’s homecoming.
Pongal, also known as Thai Pongal, is also a harvest festival and is celebrated by Tamil communities across India and Sri Lanka.
Onam Ideas & Examples
We have some of our best Onam ideas and examples, check them out and revel in their amazing designs.
Happy Onam Flyer Ideas and Examples
Prepare a Happy Onam Flyer that can be distributed personally or digitally to let everyone know of the upcoming activities concerning Onam.
Onam Festival Flyer Ideas and Examples
This Onam Festival Flyer will make an essential marketing tool for those who want to advertise during this joyous occasion.
Onam Festival Facebook Post Ideas and Examples
Prepare an Onam Festival Facebook Post just in time for this event and show your support for this Malayali festival.
Onam Festival Instagram Post Ideas and Examples
Greet everyone on Instagram by uploading this colorful Onam Festival Instagram Post that is sure to captivate a lot of attention.
Onam Festival Instagram Story Ideas and Examples
Onam is a festival filled with festivities and food, make sure to update your Instagram with this one-of-a-kind Onam Festival Instagram Story.
Happy Onam Instagram Story Ideas and Examples
Here’s another alternative design that is sure to attract readers, update Instagram with this Happy Onam Instagram Story just in time for the Onam Festival.
Happy Onam Snapchat Geofilter Ideas and Examples
Onam is a big festival that occurs in the state of Kerala, to join the celebration make use of this Happy Onam Snapchat Geofilter.
Onam Festival Snapchat Geofilter Ideas and Examples
This Onam Festival Snapchat Geofilter filled with purple and orange colors captures the essence of Onam.
Happy Onam WhatsApp Post Ideas and Examples
Don’t forget to greet friends on WhatsApp with this well-crafted Happy Onam Whatsapp Post that is specifically designed for the occasion.
Onam Festival WhatsApp Post Ideas and Examples
Advertise an event for Onam with this Onam Festival Whatsapp Post, and invite everyone to come and join the festivities.
FAQs
What is special about the Onam festival?
The two things that are special about the Onam festival are the celebration of Malayali culture and the arrival of King Mahabali’s spirit.
What are the traditions of Onam?
Some of the traditions of Onam are having feasts called sadhya, singing folk songs, playing fun games, organizing boat races, watching elephant processions, and wearing classic Kerala attire.
Where is Onam celebrated and why?
Onam is celebrated in the Kerala state of India and is believed to be the place where King Mahabali’s spirit visits every year during the 10-day harvest festival.
Which crop is harvested in Onam?
The crop that is harvested during the Onam festival is rice.
What is the most important part of Onam?
The most important part of Onam is said to be the Sadya which is a grand feast serving 25 variations of dishes served on banana leaves.
What is the Onam feast?
The Onam feast is called Onam Sadhya.
Which game is played during Onam?
There are actually many games played during Onam such as Onathallu, Onavillu, Kabaddi, puli kali, and tug of war.
How is Onam related to agriculture?
Onam is related to agriculture because it’s a harvest festival; it’s specifically a period of rice harvesting in Kerala.
Why do we celebrate Onam for 10 days?
The Onam is celebrated for 10 days because those 10 days are the namesakes of the astrological stars of the Malayalam calendar.
Why is Onam celebrated only in Kerala?
Onam is celebrated in Kerala because it’s said to be the kingdom of King Mahabali which his spirit visits every year.
Which flower is known as the Onam flower?
The official Onam flower is the Onam Pookalam.
What do we do in Onam?
There are many things you can do during Onam, you can visit Kerala and witness the Onam festivities, dance performances, games, and other Onam events in person.
Which god is worshipped on Onam?
The god worshipped on Onam is Lord Vishnu, the god who granted King Mahabuli’s request to visit his kingdom every year.