Onam

Onam is the biggest and the most important festival in South India ( Kerala) 
It is a harvest festival and is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm all over the state by people of all communities. According to a popular legend, the festival is celebrated to welcome King Mahabali, whose spirit is said to visit Kerala at the time of Onam.

Kaikottikali is an elegant clap dance performed on the occasion of Onam. In this women sing songs praising the legendary King Mahabali and dance around the pookalam. At the centre of this is placed a lit bronze lamp called nilavilakku.

 It is a captivating sight to watch troupe of female dancers performing in their traditional Kerala attire consisting of gold bordered off-white mundu-neriyathu and decked with a fragrant gajra in their hair.

What I like best about Onam is the Sadhya (food) The afternoon meal consists of about 13+ curries, that includes things like, sambhar, erichery, pulichery, pachaddi, injicurry, kalan, olan, papaddam, (and many more that I can’t recollect now) This is followed by two types of Payasam (sweet dish)

This is one day when all Keralites buy only vegetables (no non veg)

(Incidentally this is one of the regulars I see at the marketplace, and I have named him "lord of the Rings")

And the food is served on banana leaf (following the old Indian tradition of sitting on the floor)