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Onam

ഓണം
OH-num

Ten-day harvest festival of Kerala welcoming the mythical king Mahabali.

Appears as an answer in MG Mini #1062.

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Meaning & usage

Onam is Kerala's defining festival, blending harvest celebration with the legend of King Mahabali, whose annual visit to his former kingdom is the festival's soul. The ten days build to Thiruvonam, when families lay floral carpets (pookalam) at their doorsteps, wear traditional kasavu clothes and share the multi-course onasadya feast served on a banana leaf. Snake-boat races and kaikottikali dances add public spectacle.

In a sentence

The onasadya at her grandmother's house ran to twenty-six dishes.

Common spelling variants

  • Onum

Onam is the English spelling used in MG Mini #1062.

As seen in crosswords

Onam is a 4-letter answer. A typical clue:

“Ten-day harvest festival of Kerala welcoming the mythical king Mahabali” (4)

Play the crossword that uses it — MG Mini #1062

Category: Festival Origin: Malayalam Script: Malayalam

Related words

  • Pongal — Tamil four-day harvest festival, also the name of the sweet rice dish cooked for it.
  • Diwali — Hindu festival of lights celebrated across India and the South Asian diaspora.
  • Dussehra — Hindu festival marking Rama's victory over the demon king Ravana.
  • Navratri — Nine-night Hindu festival honouring the goddess Durga in her nine forms.
  • Holi — Hindu spring festival of colours marking the triumph of good over evil.
  • Eid — Either of two major Muslim festivals — Eid al-Fitr after Ramadan, or Eid al-Adha at Hajj.

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