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Countdown
Wednesday, August 26, 2026 · 78 days away
Countdown
Onam 2026
Reminders
Event overview
Ten-day Kerala harvest festival commemorating the homecoming of King Mahabali. Atham (start) on August 17 and Thiruvonam (main day) on August 26, 2026. Pookalam (flower carpets), Onam sadya (vegetarian feast on banana leaf), Vallam Kali (snake-boat race), Pulikali tiger dances.
Confirmation checklist
Source trail
Primary source
en.wikipedia.org
Last reviewed
2026-04-30
Tracker status
scheduled
Date precision
Single-date event without a reliable public start time; date-first countdown only.
Schema posture
Event structured data is emitted because the record is single-date and scheduled or confirmed.
Primary citation
Freshness and review
Operational detail
Weak-date handling
Onam 2026 — the 10-day Kerala harvest festival — with Thiruvonam, the principal day, falling on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. Celebrated by Malayalis worldwide as the homecoming of the legendary King Mahabali, with the Onam Sadhya feast and the elaborate Pookalam flower carpets at its heart.
Onam is Kerala's signature festival and the cultural anchor of the Malayali diaspora. Unlike most Hindu festivals it is observed across religious lines — by Hindus, Christians, and Muslims of Kerala — as a state cultural celebration rather than purely a religious one. The festival commemorates the annual return of King Mahabali, the legendary Asura ruler of Kerala whose just and prosperous reign was ended when Vishnu, in his dwarf-Brahmin Vamana avatar, sent him to the underworld. Vishnu granted Mahabali the boon of returning to Kerala once each year to see his subjects — and Onam is that homecoming.
The 10-day festival begins on Atham (the 22nd nakshatra of the Malayalam month of Chingam) and culminates on Thiruvonam (the Shravana nakshatra of Chingam), corresponding to August 17–26, 2026. Each day has its own significance, but the festival builds toward Thiruvonam, which is the festival's main day and a state holiday.
The Pookalam — an elaborate floor design made of fresh flower petals — is the festival's most photographed visual element. It begins as a small circle on Atham and grows in concentric rings each day, becoming a multi-metre-wide, multi-coloured carpet by Thiruvonam. Marigolds, chrysanthemums, jasmine, hibiscus and rose petals are the most common materials, though purist designs use only the flowers traditionally grown in Kerala village gardens.
The Onam Sadhya — a vegetarian feast served on a banana leaf — is the festival's culinary centrepiece. A traditional Sadhya can have 26 to 30 dishes including parippu (lentils), sambar, rasam, avial (mixed-vegetable curry), thoran (coconut-vegetable stir-fry), olan, kalan, multiple chutneys, payasam (sweet pudding) of multiple varieties, banana chips, papadom, and rice. The meal is served and eaten in a strict sequence; Kerala restaurants worldwide offer special Sadhya plates on Thiruvonam.
Other observances include the Vallam Kali snake-boat races on Kerala's backwaters — Aranmula, Champakulam, and the iconic Nehru Trophy at Punnamada Lake near Alleppey — held in the weeks around Onam. Kathakali and Mohiniyattam performances are held at major temples; the Pulikali tiger dance is a Thrissur signature, with men painted as tigers and bulls performing through the streets of the city centre. The Kerala state government organises a 10-day "Onam Week" with cultural programmes, illuminated streets in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi, and tourism-focused parades.
Onam is a public holiday in Kerala, Lakshadweep, Mahé and Yanam. Malayali diaspora communities in the Gulf (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Doha), Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, the UK and the US organise large community Onam celebrations with Sadhya, dance, and Pookalam competitions.
The Kerala Tourism portal publishes the full Onam programme. Asianet, Manorama TV, and Mathrubhumi cover the festival across the 10 days, with live coverage of the Pulikali, Vallam Kali boat races and the Thiruvananthapuram Athachamayam street procession that opens the festival. Diaspora Malayali associations in the Gulf and Singapore organise community Sadhyas; Kerala restaurants worldwide offer pre-bookable Sadhya plates.
Onam 2026 falls in a busy late-August week with Raksha Bandhan 2026 and Mawlid al-Nabi 2026; on the wider Hindu calendar see Diwali 2026, Pongal 2026 and Ratha Yatra 2026.
When is Onam 2026? The 10-day festival runs August 17–26, 2026. Thiruvonam — the principal day — is Wednesday, August 26. What is the Onam Sadhya? A traditional vegetarian feast of 26–30 dishes served on a banana leaf, eaten in a strict sequence; the festival's culinary centrepiece. Is Onam a public holiday? Yes — in Kerala, Lakshadweep, Mahé and Yanam. What's a Pookalam? A floor design made of fresh flower petals; built up in concentric rings over the 10 days, becoming a multi-metre carpet by Thiruvonam.
Date confidence
Onam 2026 is tracked as a scheduled event. The date is suitable for countdown and calendar use, while final logistics should still be checked against the linked source.
Source
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OnamStructured data posture
This page emits Event structured data because the tracked record has a single scheduled or confirmed date. The linked source remains the final reference for time, venue, and operational changes.
Countdown evidence
Retention class
Date-first scheduled countdown
Evidence score
6/10 record signals
City-page readiness
Held to date-first
Planning notes
Source reviewed Apr 30, 2026. The countdown record is intentionally labeled as scheduled or expected; use the source link and any range notes before treating the date as final.
Live values rendered at Jun 2, 10:32 AM UTC.
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