Athachamayam - Kerala’s festive Onam carnival
August and September are festive months in Kerala. The rains
ebb away, the post-monsoon harvest is near, and the fragrant spirit of Onam is
in the air. Athachamayam is considered as the traditional
beginning of the ten-day-long Onam celebrations. The celebrations are closely
linked with the royal family of the erstwhile princely state of Cochin and
takes place at the former capital in Thripunithura, Kerala.
Athachamayam is held every year on the Atham star of
the month Chingam in the Malayalam calendar. It was historically observed as
the victory procession of the Maharaja of Kochi, when the king and his
entourage travelled in a procession marked by much gaiety along the streets of
the historic town. Today, it is symbolic but no less colorful.
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