Onam is the national festival of Kerala. Today marks the beginning of Onam celebrations, the major festival of Kerala. Onam is celebrated over a span of ten days, starting from *Atham* and culminating on *Thiruvonam*. Throughout these ten days, homes and communities prepare for the arrival of King Mahabali by creating floral carpets (*Pookkalam*) in their courtyards. Here, we outline the significance of these ten days.
On Atham Day, the Onam celebration commences with floral decoration. The first layer of floral decoration consists of one row of thumba flowers (Leucas). Thumba is considered Mahabali's favorite flower. In certain places, people also use the Little Tree Plant flower (Biophytum sensitivum) and golden trumpet flowers for floral decoration.
Athachamayam is celebrated as the biggest festival in Thrippunithara as part of Atham Day. The Attham festival was called the occasion when the King of Kochi, adorned with all his ornaments and accompanied by his entire army, would arrive in a procession to meet his people on the day of Attham. Later, with the merging of the Travancore and Cochin monarchies in 1949, the royal procession was discontinued and it became a local celebration.
Nowadays, Onam is celebrated across the world beyond cast and religion through boundless Joy.
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𝓚𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓴𝓪 𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓷𝓲𝓬𝓴𝓪𝓷
