Onam 2027
ओणमOnam is Kerala's ten-day harvest festival welcoming King Mahabali home, with pookalam flower carpets, the Onasadya feast and snake-boat races.
Next: Sunday, 12 September 2027
Quick answer
Onam 2027 falls on Sunday, 12 September 2027 (Thiruvonam nakshatra in Chingam (Simha solar month)). In 2026 it fell on Wednesday, 26 August 2026.
Dates follow the Delhi panchang and can shift by a day in your region, so confirm the muhurat with a local panchang.
Onam 2027 reaches its main day, Thiruvonam, on Sunday, 12 September. Kerala’s great harvest festival runs for ten days in the Malayalam month of Chingam, from Atham to Thiruvonam, and welcomes home King Mahabali, the beloved asura ruler whose reign was remembered as a golden age. Homes are decorated with pookalam flower carpets, families share the grand Onasadya feast on banana leaves, and snake-boat races fill the backwaters.
Onam 2027 date
Thiruvonam 2027 is on Sunday, 12 September 2027, when the Thiruvonam nakshatra falls in Chingam. The festivities begin about ten days earlier on Atham. In 2026 Thiruvonam fell on Wednesday, 26 August.
The story of Mahabali and Vamana
The Bhagavata Purana (Book 8) tells of Mahabali, grandson of Prahlada, a generous and powerful king who conquered the three worlds. To restore the balance of the cosmos, Vishnu came as Vamana, a young Brahmin boy, and asked Mahabali for just three steps of land. Despite his guru Shukracharya’s warning, Mahabali agreed. Vamana grew to a cosmic size, covered the earth and the heavens in two steps, and Mahabali offered his own head for the third. Vishnu, moved by his humility and devotion, sent him to rule the netherworld (Sutala) and blessed him.
Kerala tradition adds that Mahabali was granted leave to visit his people once a year, and Onam is that homecoming. The story of his annual visit is a Kerala tradition; the gift of three steps is Puranic.
How Onam is celebrated
- Pookalam: flower carpets laid in the courtyard, growing larger each of the ten days.
- Onasadya: a vegetarian feast of more than twenty dishes, including sambar, avial, olan, thoran and payasam, served on a banana leaf.
- Onakkodi: new clothes, gifted by elders.
- Vallam kali: snake-boat races, such as the Aranmula Uthrattathi boat race.
- Folk arts: thiruvathirakali dance, pulikali (tiger dance) and onappattu songs.
- Thrikkakara: the Vamana temple near Kochi is the traditional centre of Onam worship.
The meaning of Onam
Onam celebrates a ruler remembered for fairness and generosity, and a time “when all people were equal”. Its message of sharing and unity is why it is celebrated by all communities in Kerala. See every festival on the Hindu festival calendar.
Frequently asked questions
When is Onam in 2027?
Thiruvonam, the main day of Onam 2027, is on Sunday, 12 September. The festival begins about ten days earlier on Atham.
Why is Onam celebrated?
Onam welcomes King Mahabali, whom Vishnu as Vamana sent to the netherworld but allowed to visit his people once a year.
What is Onasadya?
Onasadya is the grand vegetarian feast of more than twenty dishes served on a banana leaf on Thiruvonam.
Aartis for the day
Sources and further reading
- Srimad Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana), Vedabase
- Hindu festival dates 2026 (Samvat panchang calendar)
- Hindu festival dates 2027 (Samvat panchang calendar)
Read our editorial policy on how scripture, Purana and folk tradition are labelled.
