Onam is a festival celebrated with great zest in the southern region of India. According to the Malayalam (Indian culture) calendar the festival is celebrated in the month of Chingam and is spread over 10 days. On this day people dress up in traditional clothes and prepare a grand feast called Onasadya. They decorate their houses with intricate floral rangolis called Pookalam and place banana stalks on top of it. During this time people indulge in recreational activities such as boat races and folk dance performances like Pulikali (the dance of tigers) or Kathakali.
