Happy Onam!

Today is Onam. Onam is the biggest festival in the Indian state of Kerala. Onam Festival falls during the Malayali month of Chingam (Aug - Sep) and marks the homecoming of legendary King Mahabali (King Mahabali's rule was considered as the golden era of Kerala). Carnival of Onam lasts for ten days and is celebrated by people of all religions.

Pookalam
Pookalam is an intricate and colourful arrangement of flowers laid on the floor. Tradition of decorating Pookalam is extremely popular in Kerala and is followed as a ritual in every household during ten-day-long Onam celebrations.

'Pookhalam' consists of two words, 'poov' meaning flower and 'kalam' means colour sketches on the ground. It is considered auspicious to prepare Pookalam, also known as 'Aththa-Poo' during the festival of Onam.

Even though i have spent all my life here in Bangalore, we always make it a point to celebrate Onam. So we (me and my better half) just went out to the market, bought some flowers and just finished preparing this Pookhalam at our home. Even though its a simple one, we had a very nice time preparing this floral arrangement. It was real fun too!

Wishing everyone a Very Happy Onam. Have a wonderful day ahead!