Onam 2012, A Popular Festival of Kerala
Kerala is popular for the festival of Onam, where the people of Kerala celebrate onam with great zeal and enthusiasm. Onam is one of the many harvest festivals in India, and is mostly popular in Kerala due to the snake boat race.
Onam is a festival that is celebrated for ten days in the months of August- September. The day begins with the cleaning of the houses and decorating it with the finest upholstery and spreads to welcome the great King Mahabali. All the family members take great care in getting ready for this festival and dress in their finest new clothes, after a bath. The people make sure that their day begins after seeking the blessings of God and make a visit to the temple for their prayers and to present the Gods with gifts.
The people of Kerala firmly believe in Onam being the festival of prosperity and this is the reason why they make sure that they feed the poor and hungry so that their houses are blessed with happiness and wealth. The people visit each other and give each other presents and money. The last day of Onam is celebrated in great spirits where the people dance and sing and the people prepare traditional dishes to offer the Gods.
The highlight of Onam festival is the Snake boat race. This race is very popular, not only in Kerala, but worldwide, and people travel miles and miles just to be a spectator or be a part of this race. The snake boats are decorated with flowers and loud colours and also draped with silks and embellishments. The crowds are in their best spirits and celebrate with their boat race team, shouting encouragements and singing boat songs.
Onam is when Kerala is light up with the finest lights and vibrant colours.
Onam 2012 will be celebrated on Wednesday, 29 August.
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