The spectrum of Onam gets its shade of royalty with the regal elephant ride that takes place at Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala. Decked in gold, the favourite animal of royals of India looks even more magnificent. And, we have not just one but a whole lot of them.
Intricate designs are made on big golden plates made for the elephant's forehead. These are big enough and continue till trunk. A lot of craftsmanship goes into making innovative and exquisite designs each year. Another striking element of the elephant's decorative is the parasol. These are long stemmed ceremonial silk and satin umbrellas laced with white metal and placed on top of the animal. A silk robe, some jewelery and body painting adds to the looks. Only the most impressive and good looking animal gets the honor of being a part of the procession and wearing the ornate caparison.
The spectacular procession of pachyderms is one of the major highlights of Onam and attracts thousands of enthusiastic people. Majestic as it is, the elephants look even more handsome with the ornate caparison that it gets on this day. A darling of children, pachyderm amuses its audience by garlanding some, staring others and shaking its trunk and the big body a little along with the rhythm. The crowd goes mad with laughter with these cute little pranks of the king-sized animal. The event is inclusive of feasting, dance, music and merrymaking.
Onam celebrations may be categorized as perhaps one of the most important and significant festivals of Kerala, South India. The 10-day Onam celebrations begin on the atham day of Chingam, according to the Malayali calendar. The fact that the Kerala State Government takes special initiative in celebrating this prominent Kerala festival only goes to stress the importance this harvest festival has for the people of Kerala, South India.
The Onam celebrations in Kerala, South India are marked by cultural events such as folk music and dance performances and expressions of old traditions in amalgamation with new and developing customs can be seen during the 10-day celebrations in different parts of Kerala, South India.
A colorful Elephant procession is taken out in Trichur to mark this Kerala festival. The Vallamkali boat race is of course one of the most important and significant highlights of the Onam celebrations. This boat race sends ripples of thrill down your limbs when you watch hundreds of oarsmen manouvering the traditional snake boats to the rhythm of folk songs by the oarsmen that almost work them and the spectators into a fascinating frenzy. This is perhaps the most exciting aspect of the Onam celebrations that take place in Kerala, South India.