Onam is the state festival of Kerala and its largest, a four-day event in Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram that celebrated during the local Malayala Hindu calendar's month of Chingam, which overlaps August and September (this year it's August 22 to September 2). Observed by Keralans of all faiths, it's both a harvest festival and commemorates the legend of the mythical King Mahabali, a devotee of the Hindu god Vishnu, with the belief that Mahabali comes back to visit his subjects once each year. The first day, uthradam, is a day of shopping for foood for the festival feasts, as well as new clothes and other items, while the second day, thiruvonam, is when most of the celebrations, feasting, and cultural activities take place, such as the vegetarian sadya banquet and pookalam (above), intricate flower arrangements laid out on the ground.

Another Hindu festival, Vishu, is observed by Mayalis throughout the state to mark the beginning of the Malayalam calendar year (usually April 14 or 15), is dedicated to Lord Krishna, lasts 24 hours, and is more solemn and low-key, characterized by time with family, including the sadya meal, visiting temples, buying new clothes, almsgiving and elders giving money to children, and kids setting off firecrackers.

A third, Thiruvathira, falls in December or January (in 2021, December 20), is mostly celebrated by women in honor of Shiva, and involves fasting as well as a special, sinsuous circular dance called Thiruvathirakali. Including singing and clapping, these days it's also performed at other times of year.

Read more in Tripatini contributor Go with IPR´s post The Traditional Culture of Kerala, South India: Art, Performances, and Festivals.