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MyLifeXP>>Style>>Why Onam Is Called the Festiv...

Why Onam Is Called the Festival of Equality

Deepika Kataria

Sep 08, 2025, 13:39 IST
Onam, Kerala’s most celebrated festival, honors the just and inclusive reign of King Mahabali. Known as the festival of equality, it brings communities together through floral carpets, feasts, dances, and boat races. Beyond harvest and legend, Onam symbolizes justice, unity, and shared joy, reminding society that true prosperity lies in inclusiveness and collective harmony.
When the state of Kerala bursts into color with floral carpets, traditional dances, feasts, and boat races, it marks the celebration of Onam. More than just a harvest festival, Onam is deeply rooted in legend, spirituality, and community. At its heart lies a powerful message equality. Onam is called the festival of equality because it remembers a mythical golden age under King Mahabali when no person faced discrimination, poverty, or sorrow. Even today, its rituals and traditions carry forward the spirit of inclusiveness, unity, and collective joy.

This article explores the legend behind Onam, its symbolism, and why it continues to stand as a festival that celebrates equality across caste, creed, and community.

The Legend of King Mahabali

Onam Sadya Feast
( Image credit : Unsplash )
Onam is inseparably linked with the story of Mahabali, the asura (demon) king, who is remembered not as a tyrant but as a just and benevolent ruler. Hindu scriptures describe Mahabali as a king who ruled Kerala with fairness, wisdom, and compassion. Under his reign:

People lived in peace and harmony. There was no poverty or inequality. Justice prevailed without corruption or exploitation. All were treated with respect, regardless of caste or status.This period is often referred to as a golden age a time when society functioned with dignity for every individual.

However, Mahabali’s growing power alarmed the devas (gods). To maintain cosmic balance, Lord Vishnu incarnated as Vamana, a dwarf Brahmin. Vamana humbly asked Mahabali for three paces of land. The generous king agreed, but Vamana grew to cosmic size, covering earth and sky in two strides. For the third step, Mahabali offered his own head. Impressed by his humility, Vishnu granted Mahabali a boon to return once a year to visit his people.

That annual homecoming is celebrated as Onam, when Keralites welcome their beloved king with joy and devotion.

Onam as the Festival of Equality

Traditional Onam Celebration
( Image credit : Unsplash )
Unlike many festivals that focus on victory of gods over demons, Onam uniquely honors a demon king for his justice and compassion. This inversion itself is a profound message about equality. Let’s explore how Onam embodies this spirit.

1. A King Loved by All

Mahabali is remembered as a ruler who erased boundaries of caste and class. Everyone rich and poor, upper caste and lower caste was treated equally. Onam keeps alive this memory of a society where dignity was not a privilege but a right.

2. A Harvest Festival for All Communities

Onam coincides with Kerala’s harvest season, celebrating abundance shared by all. Unlike exclusive religious observances, Onam is celebrated across Hindu, Christian, and Muslim households in Kerala. Its universality reflects the festival’s message: prosperity belongs to everyone.

3. The Pookkalam: Flowers as Symbols of Unity

The pookkalam, or floral carpet, is a central part of Onam celebrations. Families and communities come together to create intricate flower patterns at their doorsteps. Children collect flowers from fields, neighbors contribute designs, and every petal becomes part of a larger whole. The pookkalam thus symbolizes inclusiveness many colors, one pattern.

4. The Onam Sadya: Equality at the Dining Floor

The Onam Sadya (traditional feast) is a 26+ dish meal served on banana leaves. Everyone, regardless of status, sits on the floor in rows and eats the same food. There are no separate plates, no preferential servings only shared abundance. This practice reinforces equality and humility.

5. Pulikali and Vallam Kali: Collective Joy

From pulikali (tiger dance) to vallam kali (boat races), Onam celebrations thrive on collective participation. Boat races especially highlight unity scores of rowers synchronizing their movements, competing not as individuals but as teams. These traditions symbolize the power of community over hierarchy.

6. A Festival Beyond Religion

Unlike festivals confined to one religion, Onam has transcended boundaries. People of all faiths in Kerala participate in Onam rituals, making it not just a Hindu festival but a cultural identity of Kerala. This inclusivity mirrors Mahabali’s rule where no one was excluded.

Symbolism of Onam: A Deeper Look

Onam Unity in Celebration
( Image credit : Unsplash )
Onam, beyond being a harvest celebration, is layered with profound symbolism that reflects the values of equality, justice, and inclusiveness. Each ritual associated with the festival carries deeper meaning, reminding people of the ideals upheld during the legendary reign of King Mahabali. The return of Mahabali, for instance, is not just a mythical event but a symbolic representation of the people’s longing for a just and fair society. His annual homecoming during Onam highlights a universal desire for a world where rulers care for the welfare of all, regardless of their background. It reinforces the idea that good governance is measured not by power but by compassion, humility, and inclusiveness. Similarly, the boon granted by Vamana after Mahabali’s ultimate act of surrender reflects the delicate balance between humility and power. While Vamana’s cosmic form demonstrates the immensity of divine authority, Mahabali’s humility in offering his head shows that true greatness lies in sacrifice and selflessness. Together, this exchange teaches that power should be tempered with compassion, and humility is often the highest form of strength. The pookkalam, the vibrant floral carpet created at every household, carries its own message of unity in diversity. Made with different flowers of varied colors, shapes, and sizes, it forms a harmonious pattern that is only beautiful because of its inclusiveness. It reflects the essence of society, where individuals from different walks of life, with diverse qualities and contributions, come together to create a meaningful whole. This symbolism is further echoed in the Sadya, the grand feast of Onam, where people of all backgrounds sit together in rows on the floor and eat the same meal served on banana leaves. The practice of eating side by side, without hierarchy, serves as a reminder that food, the most basic necessity of life, is meant to be shared equally, reinforcing social equality and abundance for all. Equally powerful are the boat races, known as Vallam Kali, which symbolize teamwork, collective strength, and unity of effort. The sight of scores of rowers synchronizing their movements on the backwaters is not merely a competition but a metaphor for society itself, where progress can only be achieved through cooperation and solidarity. Each of these traditions, when seen together, creates a larger narrative that justice, fairness, and equality are not abstract ideals but values meant to be lived and practiced in daily life. Onam thus becomes more than just a cultural festivity; it is a living reminder of a time when equality prevailed, and it encourages every generation to carry that spirit forward. The rituals, therefore, are not just celebrations of prosperity but lessons in inclusiveness, urging people to create a society where everyone can flourish with dignity and joy.

Onam in Today’s World

In today’s rapidly changing world, the message of Onam feels more relevant than ever, as societies continue to struggle with inequality across economic, social, and cultural lines. What Onam teaches is timeless: prosperity is meaningful only when it is shared with others. The legend of King Mahabali reminds us that a ruler’s greatness was not in wealth or power but in ensuring fairness, dignity, and happiness for every subject. This translates into the modern principle of equality in sharing where abundance, whether material or emotional, must reach beyond the privileged few and touch the lives of all. Similarly, Onam reinforces the idea of equality in status, reminding us that no person is superior or inferior by birth. The Sadya feast, where everyone sits together regardless of class, caste, or gender, is a living practice of this principle. It serves as a gentle but powerful statement against social hierarchies, demonstrating that human dignity does not depend on position but on our shared humanity. Equally significant is the message of equality in faith. Onam is celebrated not only by Hindus but also embraced by people of different religions and communities, proving that unity thrives when diversity is respected and embraced. This inclusiveness makes Onam not just a religious event but a cultural celebration that belongs to all.

Beyond Kerala, the spirit of Onam has traveled across the world with the Malayali diaspora, taking root in places like the US, UK, Middle East, Australia, and beyond. In these regions, Onam becomes even more powerful it transforms into a bridge connecting different communities, inviting people of various backgrounds to participate in its rituals, food, and festivities. The floral carpets, dances, and feasts may be recreated in new lands, but their underlying spirit of inclusiveness remains intact. What began as a harvest festival tied to Kerala’s agrarian cycle has thus become a global expression of equality, togetherness, and shared joy. Wherever it is celebrated, Onam brings people closer, cutting across barriers of religion, race, or nationality. In this way, Onam in today’s world is not just a festival of Kerala, but a festival of humanity one that calls for justice, fairness, and unity in the face of growing inequalities.

Onam: The Festival of Equality and Unity

Traditional Onam Celebration
( Image credit : Unsplash )
Onam is celebrated as the festival of equality because it carries within its traditions the timeless values of justice, fairness, and inclusiveness that defined the legendary reign of King Mahabali. According to mythology, Mahabali was a ruler who treated all his subjects equally, without discrimination of caste, creed, or wealth, creating a golden age where dignity and happiness were shared by all. The rituals of Onam continue to echo this vision. The floral carpets, or pookkalam, created at the entrances of homes, are not just decorative but symbolic of unity in diversity, with each flower representing different colors of life woven into one harmonious design. The grand Onam Sadya feast, served on banana leaves, is another powerful expression of equality, as people from all walks of life sit together in rows and share the same food, dissolving social hierarchies. The joyous dances, music, and boat races bring communities together, where individual differences vanish in collective celebration. In today’s world, where divisions of caste, class, and religion still persist, Onam holds even deeper relevance. It reminds society that true prosperity is not measured by wealth or power but by the fairness with which it is distributed and the harmony it fosters among people. Onam is not just about harvest abundance or mythological remembrance; it is a festival that inspires humanity to strive toward a just, inclusive, and compassionate society. As Malayalis across the world celebrate Onam, they are not only welcoming the spirit of their beloved king but also reaffirming the dream of a world where everyone, like in Mahabali’s time, can live with dignity, equality, and joy. In this sense, Onam is both a cultural celebration and a timeless call for humanity to uphold justice and unity.






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