'Onam' is a popular festival of Kerala, a small southern most state of the peninsula of India in Asia) where the vernacular is Malayalam. It is celebrated by people of all religions with the same fervour of the famous 'Saarva-janik' (of all peoples) Ganesh Festival of India's economic capital - Mumbai.
It is a ten day festival starting from the day when the moon transits the 'Hasta' star (commonly used, but loosely translated from the word 'Nakshatram' is in fact a collection of stars) in the month of 'Simha' (Leo) in the Hindu Zodiac. It ends on the day the moon transits 'Shravana' star. The name Onam is therefore the colloquial of 'Shravana'. Onam is also known as 'Shraavanotsavam' or the festival of 'Shravana'.
Astronomical Significance:
'Hasta' or 'Atham' star in Hindu astronomy/astrology is the spread between 10 degrees and 23 degrees 20 minutes in 'Kannya' (Virgo). (A star in Hindu astronomy is equivalent to a section comprising of 13 degrees and 20 minutes of the zodiac. A quarter of a star is called a 'paada' and is equivalent to 4 degrees and 20 minutes).
comprising of associated stars of
By the division of the Hindu zodiac, the Hasta is positioned under 'Simha' (Leo - 120 degrees to 150 degrees) Raasi. The Lord of this star is Moon, the Deity is Sun, and the Symbol is 'Hand' - also considered as the hand of determination and power and that brings smile and laughter. Incidently, 'Hasta' also means laughter!.
comprising of associated stars of
'Shravanam' or 'Onam' or 'Thiru-Onam' (Revered Onam) is the star that is spread between 10 degrees and 23 degree 20 minutes in 'Makara' (Capricorn). The Lord of this star is Moon, the Deity is Vishnu - preserver of the universe, and the symbol is either 'Ear' or 'Three Foot prints'. 'Shravana' also represents the climax of the lunar energy and is shown in the celestial horizon as the eagle - not to mention that Vishnu's vehicle is Garuda, the great eagle.
'Shravana' is also the birthday of 'Saraswati' the Goddess of Learning and Knowledge. (Kerala notably has a tradition of celebrating Navaraatri and Vijaya-Dashami as Vidya-Aarambham dedicated to Goddess Saraswati).
Interestingly, there is a halo-star with zero dimension just before 'Shravana' called 'Abhijit' meaning victorious whose Lord is Brahmah the Creator. (One need to ponder whether the zero dimension Abhijit star of the Hindu Zodiac, governed by Lord Brahmah the creator is by anyways the point of singularity of the Bing-bang assumed to be having zero dimension?). From the four heads of Brahmah came the four streams of Knowlege (Vedas : Rg, Yajur, Saama & Atharva) and Saraswati the consort of Brahmah naturally became the goddess of Learning, Knowledge and Wisdom. The word 'Shravana' also means Listening (Shrav, Shrut) which is probably why, one of the symbols is the 'Ear'.
Shravana also translates to 'Aswattha' or the Pipal which has great significance in the Vedic philosophy. (Significance of Aswattha is described in 'Bhagawad Gita' by Shri. Krishna.) It is also told that Vishnu was seen as a small child biting his foot and floating on a heart-shaped 'Aswattha' leaf at the end of the maha-pralaya (the great deluge) by Satya-vrata (the first Manu - Vaivasvata-Manu) who was in his large boat / ark with his collection of 'bija' (seed) of every species of life while he and his disciples sailed through the deluge, as described in the 'Matsya' puranam.
The Onam festival is about welcoming the pleasant season (mostly after a good harvest) after the heavy rains when the flowers start blossoming aplenty to decorate each home for yet another year of prosperity, equality and happy and peaceful living.
Mythology:-
Indeed, there is also a mythological story attached to this astronomical occasion. The event is about the first human avatar of Maha-Vishnu. Maha Vishnu is one of the Trinities of Hindu Mythology who is responsible for the time between the start (creation) and the end (annihilation); that is the time of sustenance. Vishnu literally means presence - ie. existence.
Maha-Bali, son of Virochana was the grandson of a great devotee of Maha-Vishnu, named Prahlaad - whose egotistic father Hiranya-kashipu, Vishnu had slain (and thereby liberated) in his earlier avatar as Nara-Simha (Half man; Half Lion). Maha-Bali also, was a powerful leader and a very virtuous king (who also had earlier extended help in the churning of the Milky-way which led to the formation of the various systems in space.). However, unlike his great-grandfather, Hiranya-Kashipu, who was egotistic by virtue of his almost invincible powers acquired through his penance from Brahmah the creator, Mahabali, believed in kindness to such an extent that 'Kindness' though a virtue by itself, made him egotistic about that virtue - that none other was more kind than him! He was so virtuous that even at the sight of him, Indra, the king of the devas, couldn't stand before his grace and ran away, foresaking the throne entailing Mahabali rule the heaven as well. Here lies the beauty of the Indian Philosophy & Mythology that, even virtuous deeds could lead one to state of feeling of invincibility that translates itself to egoism (aham-kaara) and feeling of power. Thus Maha-Bali became egoistic about himself, assuming that he was so powerful to grant anything anybody asked him.
Maha-Vishnu, therefore always has his ways of removing aham-kaara. While removing the aham-kaara of Hiranya Kashipu (Prahlaad's father), Vishnu had adopted a different scheme; but in this case, he approached Maha-Bali as an insignificant human-being - as a dwarf - and sought from him all that came under his three foot-steps. Hearing such a silly requirement, he offered vaamana, additionally, land, wealth, cattle etc., to which the vaamana declined and requested to give him only what he had asked for initially. Maha-bali therefore, granted the wish immediately; even defying the advises of his own preceptor Guru Sukra-achaarya. Moreover, Sukra-achaarya was forced to turn blind eye and subsequently remained one-eyed after the Vaamana forced-in a sharp darbha grass, thereby blinding one of the eyes; those eyes that saw the truth behind everything through many perspectives. It is known that the sense of multi-dimension is lost if looked only through one. In other-words, we need at least two eyes to see a third dimension object.
Thus, having lost the ability to see things in multi-dimensional perspectives (as well as to abide learned advises), and having engulfed by pride and over-confidence, however competent he might have been, it was just a strain that was required to bring him down below earth into the nether world.
No sooner had he granted the small human (vaamana) the dwarf - the vaaman, in the traditional mode of signing the 'contact' / 'treaty' by conferring three palms of holy water onto the Vaamana's palms, the Vaamana grew above the skies and measured the entire universe and whatever exists beyond, with just two feet and thereby demanded Maha-Bali to show the place so that he could own whatever came under the measure of the remaining one foot as well.
Thus was the Great Maha-bali liberated by the Lord and became one with the Omnipresent. Bhaagawatam mentions that he was awarded 'Su-tala' a place of prosperity. (Su = Good, Tala = State or Level) and the Lord agreed to be the guardian angel to that nether-world.
Referring again to the astronomical significance, the symbol of 'Shraavan' turns out to be really meaningful especially in understanding the symbolic meaning of the three-foot-prints.
Onam is thus celebrated as the occasion when the virtuous King Mahabali who ruled the world visit once a year his subjects in Kerala. He is welcomed with the grandeur of flower decorations in traditional concentric circles (signifying the orbits and the zodiac).
