Onam the festival of Kerala was celebrated with religious fervour across the State on Friday.
Keralites celebrated this one of the greatest festivals with sports and festivities.
In Raipur and Bilaspur, the devotees put on new dresses and visited temples. The celebration was also marked with dances like ‘Thiruvathira Kali’ and ‘Thumbi Tullal’.
The harvest festival of Onam corresponds with the Malayalam New Year, Chingam. Onam is the most important harvest festival of Keralites and is an attraction for crores of people within and outside the state.
Women folk dress up in new saris and heavy jewelry make elaborate and intricate designs of ‘rangolis’ (with colored rice paste) and ‘pookkalam’ (with flowers) in front of their homes. People put flower mats in front of their houses. They visit temples before having the grant lunch.
According to the rituals whatever may happen the devotees will not miss the grant lunch. There is a saying in Malayalam that ‘Kanam Vittu Onam Unnanam’, which means, “We should have the Thiruonam lunch even if we have to sell all our properties”. They give that much importance to the lunch on this day.